Have you ever given much thought to the issue of handshakes? That, how you shake someone’s hand has the power to give away some information about you?
Well, a study by William F. Chaplin found that a person’s handshake is consistent over time and related to their personality traits. Firm handshakes were found to be more extraverted, open to experience, and less neurotic than less firm or limp ones.
The study also identified sex differences, with males generally having firmer handshakes and liberal, intellectual women having a firmer handshake. “Women who are more liberal, intellectual and open to new experiences were found to have a firmer handshake and made a more favourable impression than women who were less open and had a less firm handshake. For men, the opposite was found; more open men had a slightly less firm handshake and made a somewhat poorer impression than less open men.”
The American Psychological Association mentions that a handshake, dating back thousands of years, is an ancient form of introductory communication. It originated as a way to convey peaceful intentions and good faith in oaths or promises.
The mentioned publication states that today, handshakes serve as an introduction to social or professional conversations, but they also reveal personal traits and feelings.
According to Reader’s Digest, a dominant handshake, often with a grip too hard, can indicate competition, “Shaking someone’s hand too hard shows competition. It’s a power struggle.”
A weak handshake, according to Dr Lillian Glass, a renowned body language expert, shows a lack of interest. The doctor mentions that people are sensitive to gestures, and a limp handshake can set the tone that you don’t care and are uninterested and that people can make judgements that you don’t like them based on your handshake.
The hand hug is a popular gesture among politicians, where they wrap their left hand around the person’s hand, creating a warm cocoon, states LSP Training Services. This gesture is believed to represent friendliness, trustworthiness, and honesty, and can be reciprocated.
NewsBytes claims that the sweaty palms handshake indicates anxiousness, often resulting from stress or other factors. “A clammy, sweaty handshake, sweaty palms is a kind of handshake that shows a sign of anxiousness since it makes the other person feel uneasy.”
Also see: Appropriate greetings for SA’s 11 different languages
