Cuddle Parties?
Can you imagine this in a gay environment? Spooning would lead to an orgy quicker than you could say CK's!
As internet dating sites ramp up for Valentine's Day, the antidote to excessive computer time has hit Australia - cuddle parties.
Organisers of the non-sexual "snuggle workshops" claim they bring about togetherness in a way the online world never could.
As more Australians turn to social networking, physical contact has fallen by the wayside, according to Australian cuddle party organiser, Anne Hunter.
"As human beings we have a biological need for touch which isn't met by online interaction," Ms Hunter said.
"We all need a certain amount of safe, nurturing, non-sexual touch - and most people don't get enough of it."
The living-room gatherings involve a welcome circle, ice-breaking exercises, holding hands, cuddling, spooning, back rubbing and massage.
The pyjama-clad participants are graded as "cautious-cuddlers", or "confident-cuddlers".
The confident ones end in a "puppy pile", where two or three layers of people lie on top of each other and giggle or sing.
"Most touch in our society is sexualised - only 'allowed' in the context of a sexual relationship," Ms Hunter said.
"Most people avoid touch for fear of being misunderstood in their intentions."
The parties started in the US in 2004 and the trend has since expanded to Britain and now Australia, where participants pay $20-30 for the privilege of touching others.
"I think a lot of people have experienced disappointment with online dating in meeting the date face-to-face," Ms Hunter said.
"[Cuddle parties] can offer people a safe space in which to be more themselves and more authentic with other people and I suspect that would facilitate more promising connections."
Around 1.2 million Australians access personal dating sites each month, according to Nielsen NetRatings.
A relationship expert from the Australian dating website RSVP said online dating lacked certain physical elements.
"You might have a great email and phone call but until you meet face to face you don't know if that chemistry factor will be there," Lija Jarvis said.
But she said the real advantage to online dating was its ability for relationship-seekers to "have some control over their destiny".
"People can use technology to its advantage; they can narrow down their search [for a partner] and be specific."
But Ms Jarvis didn't rule out cuddle parties as a future event for singles.
"If the demand for cuddle parties was there, that would certainly be something we'd consider introducing into our mix," she said
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=379789
As internet dating sites ramp up for Valentine's Day, the antidote to excessive computer time has hit Australia - cuddle parties.
Organisers of the non-sexual "snuggle workshops" claim they bring about togetherness in a way the online world never could.
As more Australians turn to social networking, physical contact has fallen by the wayside, according to Australian cuddle party organiser, Anne Hunter.
"As human beings we have a biological need for touch which isn't met by online interaction," Ms Hunter said.
"We all need a certain amount of safe, nurturing, non-sexual touch - and most people don't get enough of it."
The living-room gatherings involve a welcome circle, ice-breaking exercises, holding hands, cuddling, spooning, back rubbing and massage.
The pyjama-clad participants are graded as "cautious-cuddlers", or "confident-cuddlers".
The confident ones end in a "puppy pile", where two or three layers of people lie on top of each other and giggle or sing.
"Most touch in our society is sexualised - only 'allowed' in the context of a sexual relationship," Ms Hunter said.
"Most people avoid touch for fear of being misunderstood in their intentions."
The parties started in the US in 2004 and the trend has since expanded to Britain and now Australia, where participants pay $20-30 for the privilege of touching others.
"I think a lot of people have experienced disappointment with online dating in meeting the date face-to-face," Ms Hunter said.
"[Cuddle parties] can offer people a safe space in which to be more themselves and more authentic with other people and I suspect that would facilitate more promising connections."
Around 1.2 million Australians access personal dating sites each month, according to Nielsen NetRatings.
A relationship expert from the Australian dating website RSVP said online dating lacked certain physical elements.
"You might have a great email and phone call but until you meet face to face you don't know if that chemistry factor will be there," Lija Jarvis said.
But she said the real advantage to online dating was its ability for relationship-seekers to "have some control over their destiny".
"People can use technology to its advantage; they can narrow down their search [for a partner] and be specific."
But Ms Jarvis didn't rule out cuddle parties as a future event for singles.
"If the demand for cuddle parties was there, that would certainly be something we'd consider introducing into our mix," she said
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=379789