Hey, Joe, can I have a hug?

[orleans]

20. he has always been a demonstrative person

he tries to convey a message through a touch:
i'm with you, i care about you, you can do this, i'm glad to meet you/know you, etc.

i believe he is a sincere, warm, open person. a genuine person who strives to connect with others which includes through the sense of touch.

i've never been a "touchy feely" kind of person and while i, too, have experienced a sense of feeling uncomfortable or awkward when given hugs or when someone has put their arm around me, i have always understood the positive or encouraging nature & meaning behind it and where it was coming from.

i was also one of those people who used to gesture and touch someone's arm during a conversation. i did it to demonstrate to them that we were making a connection, or that i empathized, or to offer a bit of encouragement. (i guess i was okay with a little touch but just uneasy with a one or two arm hug.)

i had a partner who was extremely bothered/jealous by the fact that i reached out and touched other people during conversations. i literally began putting my hands under my thighs to keep from doing that. that was in the early 1980s.

it appears some people would never have survived the 60s & 70s with all the touchiness that went on.