Hugging dot
Within American Mensa, a hugging dot is commonly worn by an attendee of a Mensa event (such as an Annual Gathering or Regional Gathering) to indicate his or her preference regarding being hugged by other attendees. It is generally regarded as one of the quirks of Mensa culture which can be confusing for newcomers and outsiders. Hugging dots arose from the custom of widespread hugging at Mensa gatherings, even between strangers; since some preferred not to participate in this, the color-code system was devised to communicate this preference.
Hugging dots come in three main varieties:
- A red dot indicates that a person does not wish to be hugged.
- A yellow dot indicates that a person wishes to be asked first before being hugged.
- A green dot indicates that a person wishes to be hugged.
In addition, a blue dot is sometimes used to signal that one is single and seeking a mate, and various combinations of colored dots can be used to attempt to express more subtle or complex preferences, like "no most of the time, but maybe yes occasionally" (a red dot with a crescent of yellow or green sticking out beneath it). Other colors have occasionally appeared with particular meanings, such as the black dots used to protest the change in management of the 2007 Annual Gathering of American Mensa.
Of course, the person wearing hugging dots still retains full rights over his or her own body which can result in changing their mind in particular cases, such as red-dotted persons hugging a close friend when they meet, and green-dotted people declining a hug from somebody they regard as "creepy".
Some gatherings have hugging contests, with secret judges who are grading the hugs of others for the purpose of giving awards at the end of the gathering.
