It is no secret then men communicate with men differently than we communicate with women verbally, but what about nonverbally? What is it about two men touching each other that they find so weird? Perhaps it is their own insecurities that drive them to need to feel more masculine and therefore become homophobic. Regardless of the reason it is clear that the way women touch other women is much different than the way men touch other men.
“Haptics is the study of touch as part of human communication and is essential for growth and development.” (Gamble and Gamble Chapter 4) I found a funny News excerpt from a fox morning news channel in Oklahoma city talking about the man hug. The way men hug each other is comical because sometimes they do not know if they should hug or not and when they do they hug with as little body contact as possible. Women on the other hand will hug, embrace, cuddle, and walk with their arm around other women but it never comes across as being homosexual. Men do use touch when they are sexually attracted to somebody where as women just use it to show affection which includes as friends.
Sources: Gamble, T. K., & Gamble, M. W. (2003). The Gender Communication Connection. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company
