Syrians do have a reputation for being easier to interact with than dwarf hamsters, and are a good first hamster option
Whether they are cuddly or not depends on the hamster's individual personality really - some are - some aren't. I doubt a Syrian would sit on your shoulder long without trying to jump off and then they can hurt themselves! Ours will happily fall asleep on my knee though, but he took quite a bit of hand taming before that happened. And that's if he is feeling dopey. If he is feeling active he won't sit for a stroke and wants to be off lol! But you get so much more than cuddles from them - they interact in other ways with you (looks, stampy feet and so on). Ours is quite good at stampy feet if he's not happy about something, and has also been known to turn his back and stick his bum out at you if he is really annoyed about something.
So although they can be hand tamed with a bit of patience in the first few weeks (pet shop hamsters can take longer than breeder hamsters who are used to being handled), they are by nature quite solitary creatures and independent so not always up for cuddles. Having said that you can develop a real bond of trust and then they are more handleable and interactive.
Some dwarf hamsters can also develop a bond and be tame and cuddle but have less of a reputation for it. Roborovski's are tiny and generally seen as more for entertainment value (they are very active and can be very funny). Chinese hamsters have a reputation for being quite shy and incredibly fast, and good climbers. But as Fluffagrams has shown, they can bond with you too. All hamsters like a cage full of substrate and lots of hidey places and shelves to sit under, at various times, as they are prey animals and feel anxious if too exposed from above. Those are all big generalisations though and personality makes a difference. And there are some very gung ho Syrians who don't seem scared of anything lol.