(Newser)
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The gold medal for most on-camera displays of physical touch among US Olympic athletes goes to the men's volleyball team. The Wall Street Journal tallied up the number of high fives, group hugs, bum taps, and those one-armed "bro hugs" among US Olympic teams, and the results show men can be just as affectionate as women. Why would it matter? Researchers find teams that are touchy-feely in the beginning of their season, like the Boston Celtics, typically have more wins by the time the season ends.
Men's volleyball had 94 total touches during their match with Serbia, including 17 group hugs and 56 low fives. Other physically affectionate teams include women's volleyball (83 touches), women's gymnastics (55 hugs), and men's basketball (45 high fives). The least affectionate US team at this year's Games? Women's table tennis partners Erica Wu and Lily Zhang didn't touch at all during their single match, which they lost to Japan. (Click here and here for other weird facts about the 2012 Games.)
