If a guy recently hugged you goodbye, this post will show you likely reasons why and what would make each of them more likely.

So, what does it mean when a guy hugs you goodbye? Possible causes of a guy hugging you goodbye are that he is attracted to you, he is being friendly, he’s sad, or that it’s how he naturally says bye to people.

There are a number of possible reasons why a guy will hug you goodbye, but there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause.

What it means when a guy hugs you goodbye?

Below are likely reasons why a guy will hug you goodbye and what would make each of them more likely.

He’s attracted to you

The cause could be that he is attracted to you.

If this the case then the hug would likely last for a slightly longer duration than normal, he may lean into you more and you should consider where he wraps his arms. He would also likely only hug you or at least hug you the longest.

If he is attracted to you then it would be likely that he would be showing a number of other signs of attraction when you are around.

These can include:

  • Pupil dilation when talking to you
  • Pointing his feet towards you
  • Talking to you more than others
  • Asking your friends about you
  • Maintaining a longer duration of eye contact
  • Touching you often
  • Mirroring your behaviors
  • Standing at a closer proximity to you
  • Giving lots of glances your way
  • Speaking with a deeper voice than normal around you
  • Getting anxious when you’re with other men

He considers you a friend

The reason why he may have hugged you when leaving could simply be that he considers you a friend and that’s how he normally says goodbye to women.

If this was the case, then the hug would likely have been less tight, shorter in duration and he may have only used one arm. He would also likely interact with you in a similar way to how he interacts with his other friends.

If this is the case then he would likely show a number of signals that would suggest that he is comfortable around you. These can include a lack of rubbing behaviors and a less closed off body language.

Many of the body language signals may appear to be the same as if he were attracted to you. However, if he only hugged you as a friend and he’s not attracted to you then he wouldn’t necessarily hold his gaze for so long, touch you often, get anxious when you’re around other men, and he might not talk to you more than his other friends.

He’s sad

He might also have done it because he was feeling sad.

If this was the case then he would have likely been talking with you about a sad subject for him.

He would also have likely shown body language signals that this was the case such as:

  • Crying
  • Quivering
  • Monotone speech tone
  • Slouching
  • Trembling lower lip
  • Self-hugging

He’s from a culture where it’s normal to hug

It could just have been the case that he was from a culture where it is normal for people to hug when they leave.

If he tends to do this with all girls that he meets then it would likely be the case that it is a natural way that he says bye to women.

Consider his relationship with you

It would help to consider the type of relationship that you have with him.

If it is the case that you tend to get along well together but he doesn’t typically show many signs of being attracted to you, it would be more likely that he did it as a way of saying bye to you.

If you have a more formal relationship with him, it could just be that it is how he naturally says bye to women. It could still be the case that he is attracted to you which is why it is important to consider other body language signals on display.

Consider how he reacts when he sees you

It would also help to consider the way that he reacts when he first sees you. If he noticeably changes his body language, when he first sees you, it would make it much more likely that he is attracted to you.

Ways he might change his body language could include:

  • Sitting up straighter
  • Adjusting his appearance
  • Moving closer to you
  • Raising his eyebrows momentarily

Observe how he interacts with others

When trying to make sense of body language signals it is important to observe how he interacts with other people and what his body language looks like when he is feeling normal.

This means that you should watch to see if he hugs most other girls when they are parting. If he does then it would suggest that it is how he naturally says goodbye to women. If he doesn’t then it could be that he is attracted to you or that he considers you a closer friend than others.

If you want to learn more about body language, a book I would recommend would be The Definitive Book of Body Language (on Amazon). It shows you how to interpret body language and understand people's true intentions.

Author

I created and currently manage Body Language Central, one of the premier sources for body language-related knowledge. Body language plays a key role in our daily lives. I hope that my website can help condense the wide amount of body language information available and allow you to make full use of it in your daily life. You can read more about me and my website here.