Psychology Research Why people shake hands

Almost every day, we shake hands with people. It is a personal gesture of greeting. Israeli researchers have now explored the question of why people worldwide use this gesture.

As the magazine "GEO" reports in its new issue, Israeli scientists have found out with a study work, why we shake hands. Obviously, we unconsciously sniff our hands more and more, after greeting a stranger with a handshake. According to Idan Frumin of the Weizmann Institute of Science, we supply our nose with chemical fragrances that tell us a lot about our counterpart - for the same reason why dogs sniff each other extensively. For the study, unsuspecting subjects were welcomed by a facilitator by handshake, with the exception of the control group, which was greeted with words only. Afterwards, when the participants were supposed to wait unobserved in a room, a video recorded their reactions. We know all about short lead-noses, but both the length and intensity of that thoughtless sniffing on the hand were much greater in the hands-on subjects.

Check and sniff 
Thus, the scientists conclude that shaking hands is not only a welcome ritual but also interpersonal check-up, which, however, takes place on an unconscious level. (Sb)

Image: Konstantin Gastmann / pixelio.de