Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan picks up his coach after winning the gold medal in the men's 120 kg wrestling gold medal match at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Just what sort of hugger are you anyhow? Do you go squeeze random strangers in deep? Do you grapple your pals in a manly bear bug or go for the dreaded side-hug?

Our affectionate embraces come in a variety of forms and, in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and I discuss the psychology, sociology and evolutionary science of hugging it out.

We’ll even get into the topic of man-hugs — and I think you may agree that the one in the accompanying photo may be the manliest hug of all time.

Plus, you’ll learn about the most awkward and disastrous hugs that I’ve personally been a part of.  So listen in. The hug plane is cleared for a landing.

So there you have it! You can find the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast on iTunes, Zune and the RSS feed. And don’t forget the free HowStuffWorks App!

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