Would You Hold Hands with a Stranger?

What would you do if a total stranger came up to you in public and tried to hold your hand? A couple of pranksters decided to find out, and posted the results on YouTube. Call it an in-depth study of PDA -- Public Displays of Awkwardness. "Today we're going to walk close to people and hold their hand -- or try to hold their hand," says host and hand-holder Andrew Hales of Losing All Hope Was Freedom. (The name was inspired by Edward Norton's character in "Fight Club"; the Utah-based group uploads new videos every Monday.) He looks like a totally normal guy -- blond hair cut close, khaki shorts, dark blue striped polo shirt, black-rimmed glasses. When people notice that he's the one slipping his hand into theirs, they look like they don't quite know what to think. More than 1.4 million have watched the weird, funny, sweet clip on YouTube - and counting.

Most people pulled their hands away, startled. A few guys looked repulsed. Some girls seem annoyed. But still, others smile and greet him warmly. No one smacks him -- at least, if someone did, the slap didn't make it into the edited video -- which makes this silly social experiment a cringe-worthy success.