Handshake

Handshake
Rufino · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Name	Handshake
Type	Gesture
Origin	Antiquity
Related	Greeting, Farewell, Agreement

Handshake A handshake is a common physical greeting involving two people grasping and moving each other's hands. It functions as a social ritual in many contexts such as diplomacy, business, sportsmanship, and ceremonial ceremonies, appearing across cultures from Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece to modern institutions like the United Nations and European Union. Handshakes intersect with leaders, athletes, diplomats, and entertainers—figures associated with Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and organizations such as FIFA, NATO, and World Health Organization—shaping protocols in venues from the White House to the Olympic Games.

History

Handshakes have archaeological and textual traces in antiquity, including depictions on reliefs from Persepolis and mentions in inscriptions associated with Roman Empire civic rites and Greek city-states diplomacy. Medieval iconography shows hand-clasping in investiture ceremonies connected to the Holy Roman Empire and feudal oaths tied to figures like Charlemagne and institutions such as the Papacy. During the Age of Exploration, encounters between envoys of the Ottoman Empire, Ming dynasty, and European monarchies, including envoys to Elizabeth I and Louis XIV, adapted and recorded greeting customs. In modernity, handshakes emerged in parliamentary practice at assemblies like the Parliament of the United Kingdom and corporate boardrooms in cities such as New York City and London, codified by etiquette authors referencing elites including Emily Post and Amy Vanderbilt. Diplomatic handshakes at events like the Yalta Conference and ceremonial greetings at the Nuremberg Trials and Camp David Accords carried symbolic weight, while sportsmanship rituals in Olympic Games, Wimbledon, and FIFA World Cup matches standardized post-match handclasps. Public health crises, notably pandemics studied by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization, have periodically challenged handshake norms, prompting alternative greetings during outbreaks referenced in analyses by Johns Hopkins University and Imperial College London.

Cultural Variations and Etiquette

Etiquette around handshakes varies by region and institution: diplomats from Japan and Saudi Arabia often prefer bows or nods over hand contact in meetings with delegations from United States or France, where firm handshakes dominate. Business protocols in Germany and Switzerland emphasize direct eye contact and brief grips, whereas protocol guides from United Arab Emirates and India note gender-specific preferences rooted in local customs influenced by institutions such as Aligarh Muslim University and legal frameworks like Sharia. Cultural anthropologists at Harvard University, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge have compared handshake norms with greetings like the Maori hongi and Indian namaste, and diplomatic instructions from foreign ministries of Canada, Australia, and China inform cross-cultural training for delegations to the United Nations General Assembly and summits such as G7 and G20. Protocol manuals used by the State Department and royal households such as Buckingham Palace set guidelines for public ceremonies, while etiquette columnists referencing celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates influence popular practice.

Types and Variations

Handshakes manifest in many forms tied to institutions and public figures: the two-handed clasp popularized in diplomatic portraits referencing Dwight D. Eisenhower contrasts with the single-finger fingertip touch seen in some religious contexts led by clergy from institutions like the Vatican. Sports variations include the pre-game interlock among teams in Major League Baseball, post-set handshakes at Wimbledon courts, and the fist bump adopted by athletes such as LeBron James and Tom Brady as alternatives. Ceremonial grips—used during oath-taking in venues like Supreme Court of the United States or at graduations from universities like Yale University and Stanford University—differ from the prolonged handshakes staged for media at summits such as Camp David Accords or Oslo Accords signings involving leaders like Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat. Informal variations—limp "dead fish," vigorous "bone-crusher," or rotational "revolver" grips—feature in popular culture depictions in films from studios like Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures and television programs broadcast by networks such as BBC and NBC.

Social and Psychological Significance

Social psychologists at Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Chicago study handshake mechanics as signals of trust, dominance, affiliation, and deceit in interactions involving business executives from Goldman Sachs or politicians campaigning across constituencies in Iowa and New Hampshire. Experiments published by researchers affiliated with Princeton University and Columbia University link handshake firmness and duration to perceptions in hiring panels at firms like McKinsey & Company and legal interviews at courts such as International Court of Justice. Handshakes function in ritualized reciprocity noted by anthropologists referencing work on gift exchange associated with Bronisław Malinowski and Marcel Mauss, while neurologists at Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital investigate sensory and motor coordination during clasping actions. Media coverage of high-profile handshakes—examples involving Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong, or Barack Obama meeting Vladimir Putin—shaped public narratives in outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Washington Post.

Health, Safety, and Legal Issues

Public health authorities such as World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued guidance on infection transmission risks associated with hand contact, particularly during outbreaks like the COVID-19 pandemic and earlier influenza waves studied by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers. Medical studies published by teams at University College London, Imperial College London, and Harvard Medical School measure microbial transfer on skin and recommend hygiene practices endorsed by institutions like Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. Legal considerations arise in workplace policies enforced by bodies such as Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and courts including European Court of Human Rights when handshake refusal intersects with discrimination law or religious freedom protections under statutes like Civil Rights Act of 1964 and constitutional rulings from Supreme Court of the United States. Security protocols in high-risk contexts—embassy receptions overseen by Secret Service or royal engagements coordinated with Metropolitan Police Service—balance accessibility with officer training modeled on procedures from INTERPOL and FBI.

Category:Greeting gestures