Different Kinds of Embracing

• An embrace can be something as simple as a handshake. It can go beyond this into hugging of all sorts. Different ways of embracing express different things. There is the full expression of trust expressed with a full embrace of a hug with both arms, and there is the more awkward expression of the side-hug when two people put their arms around each other's shoulders. These meanings are expressed unconsciously.
  
  

The Meaning of Embracing to the Brain

• It has been shown that touching another person releases a chemical in the brain called oxytocin. This chemical decreases fear and allows for the dropping of the defense mechanisms. Touching affects people in ways that are unconscious. An embrace signals the brain that it's OK to begin trusting another person and establishing an emotional attachment. Psychologists have begun to recommend hugging as a part of therapy.
  
  

Embraces in History

• It might seem strange, but hugs have clearly played a role in world history. A valuable work might be written on the history of embraces. Clearly hugs and other forms of embrace play a role in the relations between people. During the 2000s alone famous hugs were exchanged between political leaders such as President Bush and Sen. Joe Lieberman, as well as between President Barack Obama and Gov. Charlie Crist.
  
  

Other Meanings of the Word

• So important is embracing to us, that the word has come to be used in completely abstract ways. When pop stars have become famous and beloved it is said that the country has "embraced" them. The same is true for political leaders and famous writers. Embracing has come to mean almost any deep connection made between people.
  
  

Fun Fact

• Throughout history it has been a way of establishing a special group bond by creating a group handshake or hug. The Masons, perhaps one of the most famous of the secret fraternities, invented many different kinds of handshakes that they changed whenever they thought they had become too generally known. The meaning of embracing is so deep that they felt special bonds could be established with special embraces that only group members would know.