Handshake

For the usage in telecommunications, see handshaking.

A handshake is a short ritual in which two people grasp their right or left hands, often accompanied by a brief shake of the grasped hands. It is commonly done upon meeting, departing, offering congratulations, or completing an agreement. Its purpose is to demonstrate good will, and possibly originated as a gesture showing that the hand holds no weapon. Men are more likely to shake hands than women, however in business situations it is considered the standard greeting for both sexes.

Customs

There are various customs surrounding handshakes, both generically and specific to certain cultures:

Generally it is considered inappropriate to reject a handshake, and in most social circles it is expected that the one with higher social status will initiate it.
In some cultures people shake both hands, but in most cultures people shake the right hand.
In Islam, shaking hands, along with the greeting Assalamu alaikum (peace be upon you), are a regular greeting.
Boy Scouts specifically use a left handshake. Since the right hand is more commonly dominant, the left hand would typically be used in holding a shield; by shaking with the left hand, one is defenseless while trusting the other person who may still be holding a weapon in the right hand. Also, the left hand is used because it is closer to a scout's heart. ^*
At cattle markets, one can sometimes see cattle farmers slapping each other's faces to negotiate a deal. One farmer will name a price and slap the other's face (with one or two hands). If the other doesn't like the price, he will slap the other's face and name his price. The process of alternatingly slapping continues until they shake hands, thus concluding the deal.
Fraternities and sororities often use secret handshakes to identify themselves as initiated brothers or sisters to outside members.
In American culture, there is a "Soul Brother Handshake," also called a "Power" or "Unity" shake, dating to the 1960s, begun among African-American men, and still widely practised between men of various races and paticularly among teenage boys as a gesture of close friendship. This is usually a three move procedure, beginning with a traditional, palm-to-palm clasp, followed in quick succession by a clasping at the hilt of the thumbs, and finally, by a hooked clasp of only the fingers, in the manner of railroad couplers. Variations include the above, followed by an exchange of facing palm slaps, as in "Gimme Five," or fist bumping, tops-to-bottoms, "the face slap", or knuckles-to-knuckles.
There is another way teenagers handshake that is growing in popularity. First, you grasp eachother's hands normally. Then you slide your hand back to yourself and hook onto eachother's fingers as they slide by with your own fingers. After this, you quickly pull away. This could all be called a variation of the Soul Brother Handshake.

Trivia

Handshakes are a major route for the transmission of common cold viruses.
Donald Trump said that if he ran for President (running for President often entails thousands of daily handshakes), he would have to wash his hands after every handshake. ^*
Clammy handshakes are considered to be not only unhygenic, but unpleasant and disgusting. In Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield, the author cleverly notes that the character Uriah Heep has clammy handshakes to signify that he is insincere and untrustworthy.

External links

How to Shake Hands in Ghana - video demonstration of Ghanaian handshaking technique

Greetings | American cultural conventions

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Handshake

Customs

Trivia

See also

External links