The handshake is one of the most ancient and familiar gestures. It has carried many meanings – signalling trust and alliance, but also grief and deception.
Articles on Handshake
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Patronage politics, a history of violent conflict and high-stakes elections increase the risks of poll violence in Kenya.
Don’t want to shake hands, but don’t want to cause offence? Just smile, have a short sentence ready in advance, and make sure the other person knows you care about their feelings.
The coronavirus outbreak is causing people to rethink the handshake and seek other gestures that perform similar functions without touch.
The news is filled with stories about inappropriate touching by politicians. But touch by politicians was long important in the US, and Abraham Lincoln’s handshake helped engage and guide the nation.
Handshakes may be polite, but they’re also a sure fire way to transfer lots of bacteria from one hand to another.
Beware the ‘clasp and yank’.
After a handshake, we learned this week that we sniff our hands. But why? Hand smells are not all that interesting in themselves. This points to possibilities that you might not want to hear.
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Professor of Psychology, University of Stirling
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Professor of Psychology, Edge Hill University
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Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University
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Professor of Theatre for Social Change, University of Portsmouth
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Carolina Distinguished Professor of History, University of South Carolina
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Researcher, African and African Diaspora Studies, National School of Anthropology and History
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Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Warwick
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International Relations Scholar, University of the Witwatersrand
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Professor of Democracy, University of Birmingham
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Associate professor, Uppsala University
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Professor of History, Durham University
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Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Edith Cowan University
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Professor, Weber State University
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Honorary Research Associate, Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Sydney