I'm asking this on the Neurodiverse comm because my question is about social skills, which I've always needed to take conscious effort to learn about, and I think that's a fairly common experience with neurodiverse people.
I've avoided touching people in social interactions for fear of seeming creepy for pretty much my entire life. But it seems like an unfortunate thing to exclude from my friendships entirely, and it's definitely a hurdle in dating. I realize a pandemic is a weird time to start touching people, but are there any good guides as to what some acceptable forms of social touch are in US/Canadian culture?
There's a ladder of escalation (elbow touch is low, French kissing is high)
Escalate on emotional high points like laughs
Never look where you touch
Never let a hand linger in one place