I don't know why that is. I feel a little uncomfortable during a hug, much less initiating one. It must have to do with one's personality but I feel there's more at play than that.
Are New Englanders or, in particular, New Hampshirites, a little less prone to demonstrative greetings? Could it be a family thing? I did have a conversation about this with a cousin via Facebook once. I think she commiserated. In fact, I just searched my collection of over 14800 images on Flickr and I only came up with one image involving a hug. Interestingly, it was with that very cousin but after not seeing her for around four decades, I should add.
The reason I bring this situation up is I was surprised by my own, recent behaviour. I was checking out a book at the library yesterday and a voice from beside me said, "Dennis?" I looked over to see a familiar face. It was a former supervisor, Nargis. I'd not seen her in years but she was probably most responsible for me getting my first teaching assignment at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Wait, there's a little story behind that:
Back in 1996, I had just purchased a new modem for my computer. That was a few months before first tasting broadband. The modem had a built in fax card. One could send a document from within Microsoft Word by choosing to print to the card instead of a printer. Then, the computer card would dial the number and I could hear the screeching as the devices completed their handshake. Anyway, I needed to test out this new newfangled facsimile facility, so I looked up a list of potential employers. BCIT was on that list. One class needed an instructor and I started teaching right away. I used to use this story with my students when we studied, cause and effect. You know this includes lots of language structures such as ... due to, because of, and as a consequence of.
Back to the cause for my surprise. It must have been a decade since I'd seen Nargis but I rushed over to hug her! It only felt a little odd in retrospect.
I'm generally not much of a hugger.