Stay in the hug a second longer than the awkward part. That’s where it starts to count.

Most physical affection gets cut short by the moment somebody decides it has gone on long enough. That decision is about awkwardness, not about wanting less. Past the awkward point is where a hug stops being a greeting and starts being contact, and almost nobody gets there, because both people are managing the timing instead of being in it.

Stay one beat longer with someone you actually care about this week. You will feel the pause and so will they. Usually the other person settles into it, which tells you they were waiting for permission too.