Just how long is too long to hug? Three minutes - the new Dunedin Airport limit - is ample time to activate the happy hormones generated by a good hug, the airport's chief executive, Dan De Bono, said in a phone interview on Tuesday. To prove the point, the 40-year-old Dunedin native said he had timed himself earlier that day, going the full quota in front of an audience of airport staff. The hug became a little awkward after 20 seconds, he said, and he resisted the urge to pull away.
The early reactions were mostly negative - with some describing the move as inhumane. Now, De Bono said, the pushback is softening as the story has gone viral in world media, with many pointing out that three minutes is pretty generous by global standards.
Dunedin, with its stone castle and frigid winters, is colloquially known as the Edinburgh of the south. Unlike their Scottish forebears, today's residents are generally less resistant to physical displays of affection, and offer a "warm southern welcome" to visitors taking in the country's natural beauty spots, De Bono said.
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