FREE HUGS! (And other social breaches)

SA 21 Section P

Labial | Limlengco | Opelanio | Rufino 

#SocialBreaching #Deviance #FreeHugs 

The experiment was designed to breach the personal space of people by offering them random hugs, some while they were walking and some while they were just standing or sitting. The acts were performed in various places so as to get varied reactions from different types of people. The process was simple. The experimenters would approach the strangers offering them a “free hug” with their arms outstretched to them. Should they reciprocate, the hug will continue, then once it is over, we will explain to them the experiment (only IF THE RECIPROCATE and do not walk away). Should they deny the hug however, the experimenters will simply leave and wait for another stranger. (These will be spaced so that the next stranger will not see the experimenters perform the “free hug”). The locations included a condominium, an overpass, a mall, and the inside of a university. (Names will not be mentioned, particularly the university and mall so as to keep the privacy preferred by the establishment. Videos in these areas are also unavailable for the same reason).

The following were the reactions of the people to the “free hugs”:

- They ignored (completely) the hug

- They reciprocated the hug

- They asked why the experimenters they were doing this which lead to either two results:

- Reciprocation, with hesitation

- Reciprocation, without hesitation

- Walked away/ignored

- They looked with hesitation and eventually did not reciprocate the hug

- They looked with hesitation and eventually reciprocated the hug

These were the various reactions we received from the strangers when given the “free hug”. To understand the reactions, the context of the location and (to be discussed later) the sociological theme must be put into play. Reciprocation of the hug was more well-received in the university as the population is more or less familiar with these kind of situations, possibly due to previous breaches performed or simply because they are (in a sense) comfortable with these kind of situations due to the familiarity of being with a fellow schoolmate. However, in the more public venues (the condominium, mall, and overpass) there were highly mixed reactions, most of them leaning towards the rejection or ignoring of the hug. This is probably because the strangers are not familiar with the experimenters at all which made them hesitant to reciprocate it. However, there were those who were hesitant or curious, and eventually returned the hug anyway. This re-affirms the norm of personal space, as people are not entirely comfortable with strangers violating their own privacy and personal space.

 The experiment was indirectly designed to study the results based on the gender and social class. The most diverse mix of the two may be observed in the mall, as this is where all classes can converge. However, it is not advisable to come to any conclusions, as the experimenters are unable to confirm their social status through observation alone. Since the experimenters consisted of all males, males were the ones who reciprocated the ones the most (particularly in the university), as they are probably more “game” for these things as they can probably see it as a “joke” from their own perspective. Females, however, are more protective of their personal space were more hesitant to do this, considering the fact that the experimenters are strangers to them. “Group hugs” were reinforced from time to time and the reactions were more or less similar. Social classes, on the other hand, were more difficult to observe, as we were unsure of the exact social class of the stranger. But this can be generalized in the location, as more people were hesitant to reciprocate hugs in the more public areas.

The experiment was very difficult to perform, as it was difficult to muster the courage to actually perform the random hugs. In a way, once the experiment started, it became exciting, probably due to the rush of thrill. However, it was still quite embarrassing, and we still felt hesitant, as there was the risk of possibly being reprimanded and awkward situations.

Side notes: The group was also supposed to perform a different breach, “walking thru” a fast food drive thru. The norm to be broken here was the usage of a vehicle in the DRIVE thru. However, this did not become successful, as the initial part of the drive-thru (the speaking box) was unresponsive, probably because they could already see that we were not in a vehicle. Another experiment we performed was “air-momoling” in the elevators of the chosen areas. Seeing as this did not exactly deviate from a norm, we decided to pursue the hugs. The original breaching of personal space was also supposed to be the experimenters handing out their cell phones to strangers asking for their cell phone numbers. The locations and procedure would be more or less the same. This did not push through as it was risky to hand out cell phones to strangers, as they may “snatch” them, particularly in the public areas. (Another social norm)