For those not familiar with the concept of the Hover Hand:
http://www.zootpatrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/hover1.jpg
http://www.lolglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/asian-guy-ultimate-double-hover-hand.jpg
http://birthdaygreetingssayings.com/upload/10339-18994/bar-hover-hand.jpg
http://blog.spotery.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/enhanced-buzz-21370-1291741804-8-225x300.jpg
How common is it among different ages and genders?
What are its causes?
My wild-assed guess - much more common among men than women, and caused by a guy not wanting to seem too forward to the woman (or women) he’s taking a picture with by resting his hand on them (especially on bare skin).
Nailed in one. As soon as I saw the first picture, I thought, “Oh, yeah – I’ve been that guy.”
I think I have done it in the past with children that I was socially expected to hug, but I didn’t feel close enough to them and/or was too afraid of being seen as potentially touching them in the wrong way that I ended up doing this.
I don’t understand why it’s considered enough of a phenomenon that it has to have a name or a back story. What robert_colulmbia and Cat Whisperer say seem logical enough.
Do it all the time. Yeah, it’s lame, but the conventions of photography require one to affect a pose of intimacy that is not necessarily present in real life. If I am in a bar, I don’t stand around with my hands all around women’s waists or shoulders, but if someone wanted to take a photo, such a pose is standard, but feels transgressive. Hence the compromise of the hover hand.
It feels transgressive because we’ve all conscious of having seen someone misjudge the moment, put a hand on someone and get that perfect stink-eye coupled with a sort of frozen rigidity that attractive young women seem to conjure when their personal space is violated.
I personally have been seen to do this or similar when forced to pose with people because of my red-hot, super-sweaty hands. Seriously I will leave soaking wet palm prints on people, no one likes that.
My wife’s childhood friend did this last week, and I forgot the technical term for it. I thought it was “anti-gravity hand” or something.
That’s a good point - my husband often has sweaty hands, too, and no one wants a stranger sweating on them.
Ugh. My HUSBAND has done that to me. WTF?
Pix or it didn’t happen:
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v914/23/53/631297388/n631297388_1041051_7085.jpg
I’m sorry, but deliberately not touching Summer Glau when the opportunity is there is just a sign of insanity. Dude in pic 1 is insane!
On the other (ahem) hand, sometimes hover-hand happens because the hand is still moving into place and you’re using a fast lens. I’ve seen that happen.
Yer cute.
Carry on with thread, don’t mind me.
Maybe YOU were the sweaty one. 
Yeah, I don’t think this is any huge mystery.
Great excuse for making an OP full of links to pictures of hot women, though. Nice job!