Musically, it is a dance-pop and synth-pop song backed by lightly clicking percussion, hand claps, a guitar riff and "tribal pop" synths.

"Hands to Myself" received acclaim from music critics, who complimented its uncharacteristic production and lyrics, as well as Gomez's versatile vocal performance.

The video depicts a film of Gomez dressed in lingerie playing a stalker of a Hollywood actor; critics commended its cinematography and the singer's appearance, hailing it as her sexiest and most revealing visual yet.

[1] Commercially, "Hands to Myself" reached number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Gomez's fifth consecutive top-ten hit in the United States and third from Revival.

"Hands to Myself" was written by Justin Tranter, Julia Michaels, Robin Fredriksson, Mattias Larsson, Max Martin and Selena Gomez.

Before the sessions began, Gomez felt that she had already addressed her desired themes for Revival, but wanted additional material that would be fresh from a female perspective.

[11][16] Sam Wolfson of Vice magazine opines that at first the lyrics suggest a typical song about sexual desire, but a "darker undercurrent" then becomes apparent; "there's two narratives at play – a surface and a more hostile truth", he explained.

[20] According to Wolfson, the "all of the downs and the uppers" lyric implies a relationship affected by drugs and mental health, further manifested in the line, "The doctors say you're no good".

[20] Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic writes that the lyric "you're metaphorical gin-and-juice" "rebukes the idea that Millennials like the 23-year-old Gomez don't get the meaning of 'literal'; is a redundant description given that it's unlikely she'd be singing to an actual cocktail; and is further proof of Long Beach gangsta rap's grand influence".

[22] Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone praised the song's fun and flirty sound, writing, "Her brand of sexiness has a coy, subtle quality that never tries too hard".

[23] Sal Cinquemani, writer for Slant Magazine, said Gomez's vocal performance made the track interesting, describing it as smartly indebted to that of Robyn; "success is a pretty girl who knows how to play her cards," he concluded.

[7] Jamieson Cox of The Verge commented: "She's a piece of the puzzle rather than a figure at the forefront, and her bigger moments are made to look more impressive by the gulf between them and her hushed, clipped verses.

"[24] USA Today critic Elysa Gardner commended Gomez's "sense of poise and reserve" on the song which she highlighted as "lithe".

[25] Ed Masley from The Arizona Republic regarded Gomez's phrasing as brilliant and deemed "Hands to Myself" the sexiest track the singer had done.

[9] Similarly, Los Angeles Times critic Mikael Wood commended Gomez's vocal performance as "a study in restraint" and Martin's production as "uncharacteristically delicate".

[13] Jia Tolentino of Spin magazine regarded "Hands to Myself" as "weightless meditation on seduction" and lauded its "dance tent's worth of pent-up energy" and "perfect interlude".

[27] Sal Maicki of Complex magazine called it "a certified banger", adding, "It's intimate and mature, whilst ridiculously catchy".

[28] Lauren Nostro of the same publication deemed the track "absolutely irresistible", and opined that it marked a peak for Gomez's coy attitude and breathy vocals.

[17] Nostro concluded: "It's an effortlessly catchy pop smash, but more importantly, it finds Selena at her most playful—she's making grown and sexy music now, and she's not afraid to show it.

It also contains quite possibly the best throwaway line of the year.”[29] Despite Interscope's promotion, and strong airplay of Revival's second single "Same Old Love" at the time, "Hands to Myself" managed to initially find commercial success with minimal promotion ahead of an announced release date after an accompanying music video that shows a lip-synced version of "Hands to Myself" by Victoria's Secret Angels.

[39] For the week ending February 13, 2016, the song rocketed from number 21 to seven on the Hot 100, giving Gomez her fifth top ten hit overall and third from Revival.

[60] The video begins with a handcuffed Gomez writhing around on a bed, donning an engagement ring, a wig and black silk robe.

[62] On arrival, Gomez takes off her robe and wears only spiked stilettos and black lingerie consisting of a bra and high-waisted underwear.

[61] Tired, she proceeds back upstairs wrapped in a bed sheet where one of Mason's film posters titled The Obsession is shown at the staircase wall.

[49] In a plot twist, the video ends zooming out from the preceding events, showing Gomez and Mason happily cuddling on a couch watching a film called Hands to Myself in which they starred.

[64] The music video's release aided a 46% gain of 180,000 Twitter mentions for Gomez in the week ending December 27, 2015, according to Next Big Sound.

"[62] Both Lauren Alexis Fisher of Harper's Bazaar and Kelly McClure from Maxim magazine hailed it as Gomez's sexiest video yet, with the former likening it to the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey.

[71] Meghan Overdeep from InStyle commented: "Gomez takes on a persona that couldn't be farther from her Barney & Friends days, and wow ... she's looking good!

[74] Gomez gave her first televised rendition of "Hands to Myself" on Victoria's Secret Fashion Show which aired on December 8, 2015, performing it in a medley with Revival album track "Me & My Girls" while flanked by 14 female backup dancers.