The main difference between friendly cuddling and romantic cuddling is how you touch one another. If your entire bodies touch each other while cuddling, both lower and upper bodies will touch the other. A cuddle that involves mixing breaths is too intimate to be considered friendly.
Cuddling can be a very intimate part of any relationship, whether it is friendship or romantic. It can lead to more intimate times when people are attracted towards one another. Hugs, cuddles, and kisses are an integral part of adult life. They can be friendly cuddles/ cuddles/ Kisses or romantic cuddles/cuddles.
Cuddling refers to when two people agree to lie down together or sit together close together, their bodies intertwined with one another in order for them both to feel close. It can happen between two people, a girl or two boys, or any two adults, regardless of gender. Cuddling is often between two people who are emotionally close or physically close and represents care or attachment.
It has been proven that cuddling with your partner increases intimacy and makes you more vulnerable to each other. Cuddling can strengthen a couple’s bond more than those who don’t.
You might be confused if the person you are cuddling sees you just as a friend.
Keep reading to know more.
How can you tell if you’re cuddling romantically?
To feel complete intimacy, both partners must feel their partner’s bodies against yours in a romantic cuddle. The hands can wander in a romantic cuddle because they feel the other fully. The legs are entangled and the bodies can be as close together as they wish, whether it’s the upper or lower body.
Friends will often hug and cuddle each other. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are attracted or desire more than friendship. But how do you know if it’s just a friendly cuddle? Let’s look at the signs that tell you if a hug or cuddle is romantic or friendly.
Cuddles can be intimate and friendly, whether you are cuddling with a friend, a lover, or someone else. There are many different positions or touches that can make a cuddle romantic or friendly. You may cuddle with a friend in a seated or lying position. However, the way your bodies interact with one another speaks volumes about how close you are. The intensity of a cuddle is determined by the intentions and the mind. This can also determine whether it is romantic or friendly.
You might just want to be with a friend and wrap your arms around them.
It is very unlikely that your lower bodies will touch. The touching of your lower body is the most significant difference. Because the lower body is more sensitive to both genders than the higher body, cuddling friends can cause us subconsciously to keep in touch with people we don’t want to be more than friends.
Have a look at this video for a clearer understanding:
What is platonic cuddling?
Your lower bodies might not always be in contact when you cuddle with friends. This makes it platonic, even if the opposite occurs in romantic cuddles. A friendly cuddle has physical restrictions that can’t be broken, while a romantic cuddle doesn’t have any physical restrictions.
Platonic means no romance involved. You can’t cuddle without touching. However, touching doesn’t necessarily have to be sexual.
Cuddling can be used to show:
- Affection
- Acceptance
- Care
Here’s a quick comparison of romantic cuddling and friendly cuddling:
| Romantic Cuddling | Friendly Cuddling |
| Touching of Lower Bodies | No touching of lower bodies |
| Mixing of breaths is common | No closeness to the extent of mixing of breaths |
| Touch literally anywhere on your partner | Limitations in touches |
| Intentions can be related to sexual meanings | No sexual intentions |
| Cuddling usually leads to kissing | Avoids chances of kissing |
| Types of Touch reveal sexual intensions | Types of touches are just friendly |
| Rising heartbeat, Heavy breathing, A little sweating | None happens in this but is avoided. No nervousness. |
Is it normal for friends to cuddle?
Couples can cuddle, friends can cuddle, and friends who are more than friends can also cuddle. While you can cuddle with anyone, it is difficult to distinguish between different types of cuddles.
These are the signs you should look out for when you’re having a romantic cuddle.
If there is 100% body engagement between the two people, it is not a friendly cuddle. It can be a cuddle if you’re spooning with them, and their entire body touches yours.
Cuddling is also about the type of touch, especially when there are two people of different genders involved. Your or their intentions towards you will be revealed by how and where you touch another person. No matter how you touch someone, no matter what their intention, it will be obvious to them that you have an intention.
If the distance between the faces is too small. This means that when you cuddle and they are only an inch from your face, it is because you know that kisses can occur anytime.
You know that it is not a friendly cuddle when you feel their breath on your skin. For couples or friends who are more than friends, it is intimate to feel the other person’s breath. This is when you need to know it is a romantic cuddle.
“The Intensity Difference” between a Romantic Cuddle and a Friendly Cuddle
Romantic cuddles are generally more intense than friendly cuddles. This is because romantic cuddles often have sexual undertones compared to a friendly cuddle.
The physical signs, positions, poses, and touches are all important. However, what makes a romantic cuddle different from a friendly cuddle? How intense it is, how you feel when they hold you or touch you in a certain way.
Although you cannot know how someone feels when they hug you, hold hands, or cuddle with you, you can certainly tell by their body language and behavior.
If you cuddle with your friend, there’s a calm, soothing environment inside of you both. You just “hug it out” and go with the flow. If you are a close friend or cuddle with someone who you care about more than a friend, you will feel a calm and soothing environment, but it could also be too scary for you.
Heavy breathing, a rising heartbeat, and possibly sweating are signs that the other person is looking for more than friendship. If the vibe becomes less “chill” and the intensity increases for both parties, then the cuddles are no longer in the friend’s realm.
There is no intensity when you cuddle with a friend. It is 100 percent a comfortable cuddling experience. There is no sweating, no nervousness, and each party has a good understanding of the other’s interests. It is a safe and friendly cuddle so have fun with your friends.
Notice how you feel when you cuddle with someone you love. Although it is only a friendly cuddle, it can make you want to be closer to the person you love and break down any physical barriers you have. Although it won’t make your cuddle romantic, it will help you to notice similar body language and senses in the other person.
How can you tell if someone wants more? Are they more than a friend? Just notice them. Pay attention to their body language. Take a moment to hold their hand, hug them, or cuddle up with them. The eyes and body language of humans can show love. So pay attention to the people you love and get to know them.
What does it mean if a friend wants to cuddle you?
Oftentimes when a friend wants to cuddle they’re seeking more than just friendship, however, in some cases, friends just merely want to cuddle with no other motives behind their intention.
These are some things you should remember when cuddling friends. These are the signs that a friend who you cuddle often wants more than friendship.
Cuddling with friends is often a side hug and not full body-to-body contact. Platonic cuddling is unlikely to result in two people coming face-to-face. This is to prevent any exchanging of breath positions that could be too intimate for friends.
It is important to be in a spooning position together with a friend while maintaining a safe distance between your lower body and the table. Two people can spoon each other. It is a very emotional and supportive position. To avoid any misinterpretations, cuddle with your friend.
To avoid kisses, the heads of the couple will not be in a direct 90-degree position. There will be a significant distance between their upper bodies.
While cuddling can be done with both your head and the other’s shoulders, it is possible for a couple, friends, or a couple to do this. However, you won’t have much contact with your friend when you cuddle. This position is more romantic if you hold hands, entangling your legs and placing your head on their shoulder.
It is more romantic to use the “lap pillow” position, where one person uses the other’s pillow as a cushion. Although there is not much body contact, the intensity of the interaction can increase because you are directly in contact with the lower body of the other person. If they look down, it becomes an eye-to-eye position. This makes it more intense to have a friendly cuddle. As long as you don’t make one another uncomfortable, friends who live close by can engage in this position.
Conclusion
Cuddling is often seen as an activity only done by lovers, however, there are many different types of cuddling out there.
The main difference between a cuddle between friends and lovers is the intensity of the cuddles and the amount of physical contact. Friendly cuddling is usually done for the comfort of it, but romantic cuddles carry an air of intimacy.
Sometimes in romantic cuddling, the act can go from innocent cuddles to a more sexual act, but in friendly cuddles, the action and intention will always remain the same.