This 1 Thing Can Make Or Break Romantic Relationships. But Your Other Relationships Need It, Too.

"Unlike the video, my friend and I fell into the "huggy" category and easily picked up on each other's bids. Coined by psychologists Julie and John Gottman in their well-known research on relationships, "an emotional bid is when one person makes a gesture to another person that communicates an attempt to connect," Charlynn Ruan, a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of Thrive Psychology Group, told HuffPost."

""Bids can be verbal and direct or nonverbal and indirect," New York City licensed mental health counselor Tracy Vadakumchery, also known as "The Bad Indian Therapist," told HuffPost. Examples of nonverbal bids include smiling, sighing, frowning, and pointing to an object. She explained that people with social anxiety may use nonverbal gestures due to a fear of rejection, for example, making eye contact before looking away."

An emotional bid is a gesture that communicates an attempt to connect. Psychologists Julie and John Gottman coined the term. Bids appear across relationships, including parent-child interactions, pets, friendships, and romantic partnerships. Bids can be verbal and direct or nonverbal and indirect, such as smiling, sighing, frowning, or pointing. People with social anxiety may prefer nonverbal bids to reduce rejection risk. Small talk can serve as a bid to test whether someone is safe to connect with. Friends may reveal hardships lightly or post on social media as a bid for attention and support. Bids create shared experiences and foster bonding. Bids are important but sometimes overlooked.

Read at HuffPost