China's Cuddle Trend

MrCuddles1548MrCuddles1548
in General

Hi all, I thought you might be interested in the article below. It's about a trend in China where people are paying men for brief (5 min) platonic cuddles.

The duration seems a bit short to me, but it might be enough for them given hugging isn't as common in the east. I think it's great people are embracing human contact without sexualising it. I wonder if the trend will catch on here.

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3312321/man-mums-china-sell-5-minute-hugs-us7-gain-popularity-among-lonely-women

Comments

  • CuddlesofcuddleCuddlesofcuddle

    Yaaassss!!! I'd love this. Just 5 minutes would be great. No cologne please. Take my money 🫂

  • MonkeyNeedsAHugMonkeyNeedsAHug
    edited October 2025

    This reminds me of a time in Philadelphia, (where I used to live). I was riding a bicycle that had an extra bench seat over the back tire, when I saw a middle-aged Asian woman miss her bus. Knowing I could catch her up to her bus at its next stop, I pulled up next to her and said, “get on”. She did.

    Then as soon as I started pedaling, she asked, “How much to Chinatown?”
    I’ve thought often about how her mistaken assumption (that I was charging for the ride) might be the only reason she got on my bike in the first place.

    Like… most people would never accept a “free ride” from a stranger. But a paid ride from a stranger? Millions of people accept those daily.

    Free candy from a stranger?? Ew, no!
    But a stranger selling candy? Totally legit!

    So, as much as some here lament the transactional nature of pro cuddles, money can help people understand the nature of an exchange and its boundaries. It can establish trust. Not bad for the root of all evil!

    🙈🙉🙊

  • MrCuddles1548MrCuddles1548

    @MonkeyNeedsAHug that's an interesting perspective. I never thought of it that way. Maybe the process of paying makes the cuddlee feel there's some consumer protection or something. We'll need a behavioural economist to investigate this phenomenon haha.

    I must say when I've seen the rare person in public with a free hugs sign on, I have been suspect 😅

    Thanks for the insight.

  • UREverythingUREverything

    Be there in a few months to set up shop. Over a billion hugged!!!

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