Cuddle culture is coming to party near you

　　James is a balding middle-aged New York builder built like a tank. He’s a tough guy, but he’s also lonely. Just like everyone else, James needs human contact from time to time, and he’s found a way to get all the hugs he wants: at cuddle parties.

　　New York can be a scary place: it has a high murder rate and some seriously disturbed people living in it. But James says he’s comfortable showing up at a New York apartment with twenty people he’s never met – all wearing their pajamas. The floor of the ‘cuddle zone’ is soon covered with complete strangers snuggling and cuddling, but that’s as far as it goes.

　　Cuddle parties are the latest trend for lonely, isolated city folks who want to meet people and become safely intimate. The safety comes from rules that are strictly followed: shower before you come, bring clean pajamas, ask permission before you cuddle, and keep your clothes on. “We have ‘cuddle lifeguards’ to make sure everyone sticks to the rules,” says party host Reid Mihalko. The lifeguards make sure nobody gets out of line, and everyone goes home feeling better than when they arrived.

　　Once the cuddle party is in full swing, people like James are soon crawling on top of one another, stretching out like puppies ready for a nap. Mihalko admits that the whole idea “might seem a little odd” at first. But research has shown that being touched by other people helps reduce stress and can help sick people heal faster. The comfortable contact that children have with each other gradually disappears as people grow older. But Mihalko points out, “Just because we grow up doesn’t mean we all of a sudden stop needing to be held.”

拥抱文化正来到你身边的派对中

　　詹姆斯是纽约一个开始秃头的中年建筑商，他的体型像坦克一样。他是个强壮的男人，但他也很寂寞。就像大家一样，詹姆斯偶尔需要和人接触，他找到了一个方法，以求得他所想要的拥抱：参加拥抱派对。

　　纽约可能是个可怕的地方：它的谋杀案比例相当高，还住了一些心理极度不正常的人。但是詹姆斯说他对于和20个从未谋面的人一起现身在纽约的公寓中感到很自在，大家全都穿睡衣到场。“拥抱区”的地板很快就挤满了完全陌生的人，他们相互依偎和拥抱，但最多就是这样。

　　拥抱派对是寂寞、孤立的都市人最新的时尚，他们想和人认识，想安全地亲密接触。这样的安全性来自大家严格遵守的规定：来之前要冲澡，带干净的睡衣裤来，拥抱之前先征求同意，不可以脱衣服。“我们有‘拥抱警卫’来确保大家遵守规定。”派对主持人雷德·米豪尔科这样说。警卫会确保没有人失控犯规，每个人回家时感觉都比来的时候好。

　　拥抱派对一旦进入高潮，像詹姆斯这样的人很快就会爬到别人身上，像准备睡觉的小狗那样伸展四肢，米豪尔科承认刚开始的时候这个想法似乎“有点怪”，但是研究显示被其他人抚触可以帮助减低压力，还可以帮助病人快一点康复。小孩间舒服自在的接触在人们长大之后逐渐消失。但是米豪尔科指出：“就因为我们长大了，并不表示我们突然间不再需要被拥抱。”