The History and Science of the Handshake

In Scientific American, Jesse Bering writes at length about the cultural origins and significance of the handshake, what controlled experiments have determined about the personalities reflected in different handshakes, and the gesture's evolutionary similarities with those of other primates:

In chimpanzees, he points out, dominant apes will oftentimes extend an open hand to distressed subordinates as a sort of calming gesture; and in some chimp communities, individuals will clasp hands overhead as they manually groom each other. In humans, in contrast, it’s most often the subordinate who initiates the handshake, particularly toward dominant people they wish to impress.


Link | Photo: US House of Representatives

Comments (3)

Newest 3
Newest 3 Comments

That's a tradition I'd like to see go away. It's pretty gross to have to touch a stranger's hand, not knowing where it's been, when it was last sneezed into, or whether the toilet paper tore and the person wasn't so diligent in washing afterward. It's especially unpleasant if the hand feels moist. Some people wait for a cue to see if a handshake is desired, but others just thrust the hand at you. Its real purpose is to demonstrate your willingness to grab someone's moist, germy hand to avoid offending them.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
How naïeve of me- I only thought the handshake had come from former times only to prove that one greeted eachother with un-armed bare hand on equal level.

...Now I have to learn the Social Art of The Handshake- In such a way that I will not seem weak, sub-ordinate or ordinate and all those other things, but just right...
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
People need to keep in mind that every bottle in that video is reusable, if taken care of, for most of your lifetime; and uses less resources than Aluminum bottles.

Next time you need a reusable water bottle look to the vending machine rather than REI.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
What part of ONLY 10% recycled material may be used, and ONLY FROM UNUSED PLASTIC is unclear?

Plastic recycling, like pretty much all recycling is a huge scam.

But hey, if you like pawing thru garbage in some fantasy where you think you're saving the world, knock yourself out.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
For food containers, only virgin plastic and post-industrial processed plastic is used. Post-consumer plastic is recycled to make other objects. One prominent use is in plastic "lumber" that is used to make decking. This material is durable, resistant to rot and insects, and can be nailed for construction just like wood. There are probably many other non-food plastic items made from post-consumer recycled material, where cleanliness, chemical purity, clarity, texture and consistency are not as important. I imagine that many automobile parts, interior fittings, bumper fillers and friction-reducing fittings are made of post-consumer recycled plastic. If virgin plastic food containers were not directed to the recycling stream, these objects would have to be made from virgin plastics, while usable materials are wastefully buried in landfills.

There is no need to denigrate recycling.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Login to comment.
Email This Post to a Friend
"The History and Science of the Handshake"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More