# How common is the Hover Hand and what causes it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 4, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894 "2011-11-04T20:45:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/1 "2011-11-04T20:45:06Z")
For those not familiar with the concept of the Hover Hand: [http://www.zootpatrol.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/hover1.jpg](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://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://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](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? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/2 "2011-11-04T20:53:26Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/3 "2011-11-04T21:23:10Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > 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.” ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/4 "2011-11-04T21:35:01Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/5 "2011-11-04T21:39:37Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/6 "2011-11-04T22:48:09Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/7 "2011-11-05T02:29:23Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/8 "2011-11-05T02:34:31Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/9 "2011-11-05T05:08:40Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > 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. That’s a good point - my husband often has sweaty hands, too, and no one wants a stranger sweating on them. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/10 "2011-11-05T08:29:58Z")
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](http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v914/23/53/631297388/n631297388_1041051_7085.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/11 "2011-11-05T13:57:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/12 "2011-11-05T14:43:49Z")
> [@voguevixen](#): > > 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](http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v914/23/53/631297388/n631297388_1041051_7085.jpg) Yer cute. Carry on with thread, don’t mind me. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/13 "2011-11-05T18:03:25Z")
> [@voguevixen](#): > > 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](http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v914/23/53/631297388/n631297388_1041051_7085.jpg) Maybe YOU were the sweaty one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-the-hover-hand-and-what-causes-it/601894/14 "2011-11-05T20:36:46Z")
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!