Why Do We Hold Hands?

When you're young, holding hands with your crush is one of the best feelings in the world! But why do we want to hold hands with the people that we like? Brit.Co, and Elizabeth Gilbert, researcher for Psychology Compass, explain the evolutionary reasoning behind hand holding.

Unfortunately, holding hands has not always been out of romance, but instead out of survival and safety. Our ancestors developed this need for clinging to those around them when they felt fear or safety concerns.

It wasn't until modern humans developed that hand holding took a turn for the romantic. Nowadays, when we see two people holding hands, we don't think of danger, but often that they are in a romantic and committed relationship with one another.

So while both instances showed a sign of comfort, our ancestors used hand holding more as utilitarian than we do in this day and age.

(via Brit.Co)