And now, for my well-nigh specific story even so, I will divulge to this small audience what is known in pop civilisation equally the "thumb matter." If this means nothing to yous, keep reading.

For those of you who don't know, the thumb thing is a phenomenon where a male will place his manus on a person and later get-go grazing his thumb back and forth on said person in an absentminded fashion.

I'm 1000% sure this sort of move is a universally inherited genetic reflex for all men. You know how archetypes are the collective unconscious? The thumb thing is the collective unconscious for men. Moving their weak, lame little thumb back and forth on their engagement's hand is their classic. It's like "river symbolizes change" except it'due south "human being moves pollex symbolizes he-has-crush-on-you lot."

This action can be motivated past the witting or subconscious mind. It'southward witting when yous're on a appointment and the guy thinks, "Oh, and now I volition do the thumb thing." It'due south hidden when the guy is an unestablished romantic prospect and he thinks, "Hey, I don't think I'g disruptive her enough right now. I must cause more disorder, because that'due south what my gender does all-time."

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In most cases the thumb affair is harmless — a nice little gesture by your counterpart to display he's enjoying the physical contact. In other times, notwithstanding, information technology can be extremely misleading.

Let's go through examples of some classic times guys volition practice the thumb thing.

On the thigh

At present, for men who have no sense of correct and wrong, setting a hand on an unsuspecting victim'southward thigh just and then he can placidly move his thumb around on the surface with no explanation is a get-to movement. For nearly, a hand on the thigh solitary can be written off as a thoughtless motility. Only if the thumb starts moving, it changes the intent from mindless objectification to flirting.

The common followup to the pollex on the thigh is a pretty straightforward ghost. After the guy has made the recipient wonder if there's annihilation deeper going on in the friendship, he bolts and leaves the recipient baffled and stressed.

On the manus

This i can play a joke on people into thinking information technology'south more than innocuous than the thigh. But I would argue the hand is 100x more than provocative, because it's more ~intimate~ than annihilation else. Boozer, tired or clueless boys without self-control will grab your thigh or your ass any day — ugh I literally hate it here — only not your mitt, because that'southward serious. It's not sexual but romantic, and it's only what boyfriends do.

The catchy affair about the paw is information technology can exist normal when platonic friends catch information technology, but when they start to move their thumb on your hand — as a boyfriend would do — it gets really confusing. For instance, say you're freaking out, and your friend is there to comfort you. He'southward talking, y'all're crying, everything's fine — until BOOM! Grabs manus! Thumb is over manus! Thumb starts mOvING. AHHH! What does this mean? Why would he do this?!

No ideal friend would hold your hand and then start grazing your knuckles! What is going on?! Now he has instigated a mental catastrophe on top of your mental breakdown — boys would.

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On your shoulder

Now, I would say the shoulder is actually the safest place for someone to do the pollex thing without creating whatever confusion. For someone's hand to be on some other person'due south shoulder, it's unremarkably because yous ii accept already established you like each other. But at that place are other times where that's non the case.

What if, when you guys are squeezing together for a photo, he puts his arm over your shoulder and starts moving his thumb? Or what if he throws his arm over your shoulder casually at a party but then starts moving his thumb? Watch out — you're never safe from these guys. The shoulder can be quite ordinary until made otherwise.

He's your friend of ten years and does the thumb affair, but then he also claims he has congenital thumb spazzing

"Y'all need to hear me out — it's a real condition," your very good friend says in an incredibly defensive tone later yous rip your hand away from his with a dislocated and betrayed expression.

Listen, I'm all for validating disorders and weather, but this is just getting to be also much. In this improbable — but very existent — situation, the boy will take your hand, start grazing your mitt, and when you lot phone call him out on it, he will backtrack by challenge he has no existent control over his thumb. Boys, if you lot tin can't control your thumb, keep information technology to yourself.

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When you're watching Loftier School Musical with your friends, and your crush has his arms wrapped effectually his friend, and yous have your arms crossed next to him, and your hands are next to each other, then he might also grab your hand and first doing the pollex thing thereafter

You might think this is a totally overblown and specific state of affairs, but information technology happens to more than people than you think. When guys do the pollex thing here, yous've got them.

I'yard serious. This is the But situation where a guy does this and information technology means he genuinely likes you. Encounter, when yous sat on the couch, he saw it equally an opportunity to make physical contact with yous in any way possible.

For him, the most logical manner to do that was to feign interest in his friend sitting next to you, but in wrapping his artillery effectually his friend, he got his hand closer to yours. With your hands now so close, information technology's then like shooting fish in a barrel just to concur hands, permit the thumb do its thing and have that be the origin story of how you two started dating.

Lower waist

Finishing off with one of the more risque locations, the thumb thing on the waist would exist a improve matter if it wasn't so damn ticklish!

Honestly, I think guys only practise it hither because their hand starts to fall asleep, and they need to practice something with it to maintain claret menses.

Anyhow, if a male child puts his hand on your waist and does the thumb thing, just angle your body abroad and taze him in the gut. He'll jump back, stunned, and that'south when you say, "Yes, that'southward what it feels similar." This might scare and confuse the boy, just we'd rather take them in that country than anything else.