Completely understand what What can a handshake say about you? : The Work Buzz stance on this matter. Though I might disagree on a number of the finer details, I think you probably did an awesome job explaining it. Sure beats having to analysis it on my own. Thanks. Anyway, in my language, there aren't a lot good supply like this.

that's a stupid ritual.

Here is one for all you grammer teachers out there. Some of us that work for a living, we were just introduced to the internet, and typing. we have not used proper spelling and punctuation in many years, but that is why we hire secrataries, and people to write our job proposals at minimum wage and work them part time.

I have been all over this country working different jobs. I know for a fact that 90% of the jobs I have gotten in my life was do to a good firm grip. I also believe that a man that has a sissies handshake means he does not know how to handle a horse, so I'm sure he does not actually know how to put dinner on the plate for his family. And trust me durring this recession I was traveling accross the country I had no issues getting a job. So I know for a fact it is what you know, and how you shake a mans hand. I'm now in Flint, Michigan and this is a town of no work, and I got a job the first week I was here and the money is good. Point proven:)

This was an enlightening article. It illustrates that most Americans are semi-literate. Why are people so concerned with shaking a hand instead of, let's say...., using grammar correctly, or spelling, or puctuation? Isn't a correctly spoken or written discourse more important than a handshake?

I refuse to shake the hand of a stranger. I don't want your germs on my hands, particularly your herpes virus you touched on your face. I know you didn't wash your hand after using the toilet, as most men don't wash their hands after urinating, and I don't want the scent of your genitals on my hand. Also, my religion doesn't permit touching a stranger, let along shaking a stranger's hand. Family only, and then it's a hug. So when you extend your hand I stand still and say, "I can't shake hands due to my advanced age issues."

Never shake an old lady's hand full of brittle bones and arthritis. A smile is enough when you're over age 70. Keep your hands off my body. It's too painful. And stop slapping me on the back. My bones are too brittle.

Note: Don't forget to wipe your hands or at least keep them pretty dry for the handshake. There is nothing worse than the unexpected wet one.

I disagree. I am a lefty, and have used my right to shake hands with others my entire life. It is automatic and I don't think about it, which I am sure is the same for other lefties out there.
When someone comes at me to shake with the left (which very rarely happens), it throws me off and is awkward and uncomfortable and we end up either doing the hand shuffle (left, no, right...wait, here comes the left again)or the handshake turns into a fingertip squeeze (my right hand and their left fingers)- the way you greet the little old ladies in church. Awkward!

I'm with the anti-handshake group. Like Jim, I have an extremely powerful grip due to life work experience compared to even the big guys.

Plus I'm a skilled martial artist. One moron tried to crush my hand to assert his peurile typ A dominating personality--- and I don't think this is subconsciously manifested, its intentional to get you 'subservient' attention,

and i simply did the appropriate joint manipulation and had him kneeling at my feet in an instant, very surprised, and no longer attempting to break my fingers.

I said, "oops, sorry sir, it was just an instinctive reflex reaction triggered by you trying to crush my hand." I didn't really hurt him, but his beet red face definately had the 'guilty as charged' look.

And as others correctly pointed out, in this day and age, this is one of the easiest ways to transmit a real bad case of genital herpes. It happens like this: guy or gal goes to the bathroom, touches his pustule infected penis or genital area, doesn't wash, which doesn't help much in this case, shakes your hand a few minutes later, and then you rub your nose, or worse your eyes, and every couple weeks or so you'll be in misery for the rest of your life, not to mention your own sex life virtually destroyed.

This is truly an archaic and stupid tradition.

Since I do not have the emotional insecurity of requiring to assert a 'firm' handshake, I would thus be always assumed to and condemned to be weak. Even though, if i wanted, I could kill you before you got close enough to 'shake my hand'.

So what is this illusionary social judgement system of 'a firm handshake' really mean? Especially if you are really of so called 'weak, stature, or whatever and just know how to put on a good act, which is deceiving your 'handshake analyst' anyway?

It just demonstrates another nail in the coffin of western civilization. Because if my decisive action to hire anyone depended upon a stupid handshake, in any way shape or form, Instead of his pure ability and talent, I shouldn't be making those types of determinations.

Too much is read into body language and psychology of profile these days and it is now ridiculous. Get rid of the handshake and if some form of ritual is so absurdly necessary when being introduced, then do a benediciton, like true god people used to do.

A comment by Josh is right. I found out when I offered my left hand to an Iranian (my right arm was broken)and he backed away. Later I learned that through another friend at the seminaar. So for the remainder of the meeting
I would use my left arm to raise my right and
thus seeing my predictament most all would say
"No,NO, Eeeet's OK". Oh well.

I would like to emphasize the importance of making & maintaining eye contact with the other individual while shaking hands. A firm (but not bone crushing)hand shake and solid eye contact will help convey confidence, assertiveness, & sincerity. A smile & friendly greeting will put the other person at ease in addition to promoting trust.

I have found durind a hiring process that the smart candidate has asked some of the people I already hired about several aspects of the interview. They will respond 90% of the time is start with a firm handshake because it tells the hiring manager alot abut the candidate. Shake like a fish, work like a fish, shake like a strong confident human and your work will coincide. It works for me everytime. I have always wanted to do a workshop on hiring and help people get this right. too many times I get a limp handshake and I think is this person here? I also don't care for bone crushers, It tells me you can't control yourself and may tend to be aggressive (and not neccessarily at the right time) and working with the public that isn't always good. Our search was for people who could stay in control of the situation and can find a good balance in things they do. Beware that your handshake is firm and steady, especially if the interviewer shakes your hand at both the beginning and end of the interview. It can act as a gauge of your interest and integrety. Be yourself, like talking to a coworker.

"big boss" you said:: "I always crush the hand of sobordinates so they realize i run the show"

First off, hmm...no punctuation whatsoever, and your grammer is atrocious.

You also can't spell. It's "Subordinate" NOT "Sobordinate" ....You truly are; an idiot.

Secondly, based on your statement, i have one conclusion; YOU. ARE. A. BULLY.

What is your problem?
Are you that weak-minded?
That immature?
That self-conscious?
That unstable?
That lonely?

Surely, based off of your statement; it must be one of the six?!

You must! A man like you who thinks this way, probably is all of the above and more. Incase you are wondering, about my lonely comment... I'm sorry but I cannot see a man like you having a healthy relationship with his family, nor even having a family of his own...if you do, I daresay; I pity them. But, then again, perhaps you were a very weak and tormented child who grew up to have their own company, or gain a position of power, and thus abuse it to your own whim to further prove to no one but yourself that you are so much better than the rest...All you're proving to anyone else is that you are nothing but a scared little boy; playing "Boss".

Grow up this isn't high school!

I would know, Sir.

How does it feel to be put in your place by a seventeen-yr-old girl?

How I wish we had a replacement for the handshake! I like the idea of a nod of the head. As one with arthritis, I can say that, in many cases, it was not a pleasure to meet that person whose handshake caused me to lose the use of my hand for the rest of the day. Or the week. Or whose handshake sent me to physical therapy to regain the use of it. There’s also a sanitary issue. Much of my time is greeting employment applicants. You weren’t in the loo long enough to wash your hands. And did you just sneeze into your hand before clasping mine? The next time you see me – the woman with the dazzling smile – please just nod your head.

I know for a fact that in some countries, such as iraq it is an insult to wave with your hand,, you use your hand to wipe your back side,, that is pure insult to them,, could either bow,, but that is middle eastern,, could shake hands,, but that spreads germs, how about just saying hello,," how are you this day? with a big ol cheese eatin grin. That work for me,, it's non threatening to a person,, and everyone like a person when they smile! works for me :}

I'll never forget a job interview I went to and was greeted by a hiring supervisor. She would'nt look me in the eyes, her handshake was limp and her hand was cool and wet! My first impression was poor, to say the least! I wondered how she ever got into a supervisory position, and thought I should have been applying for her position.

CS: Wow, you term WTF "small-minded" yet you indirectly, but petulantly insult homosexual men or "effeminate" men. I would hope female interviewers don't base hires on what they admire in a man outside of the workplace.

It's no surprise hiring managers/interviewers place so much emphasis on meaningless minutia like a handshake--it's symptomatic of this country's obsession with style over substance and the superficial over the actual qualifications listed on an applicant's resume.

It's true what they say: life is like high school with money, and today's business world reflects that!

Well from my first impression of you through this amussing comment I can gather that you are a number of things. One of those things would be slightly insecure or perhaps a better way of putting it would be fear of judgment is you are so quick to stomp on what is considered a necessary action in the buisness world. I don't have a month or even a day to get to know the man who runs the company office on the other end of the state but I do have to work and communicate with him to get the materials and info I need to do my job. By shaking his hand at the monthly meeting I make a quick if not entirely accurate judgment of his true character. The same holds true with people from other companies. A handshake may be trivial but it is undeniably useful. Studies such as this are not very expensive and provide useful information for indiviguals who may not have been tuaght this growing up. Oh and by the way, if someone has a one diget IQ I don't think they can sustain basic bodily functions, much less care about a hand shake. So before you start ranting, educate yourself. (oh and have fun flamming me after this, i'm sure you need to convince yourself of your superiority)

What about the handshake where the person wipes his or her hand off on their clothes immediately follwing the handshake -- and in a professional setting?

so vanilla:
When I get one of those "jive" handshakes, I just look at him like he's an idiot.

scot, if you plan on staying in sales, please learn a little syntax eg.:
there= over there, location
they're= a contraction of they are
their= possessive-the people read their emails
your= possessive-you read your email
you're= a contraction of you are
yore= the past- days of yore
sight= vision- a sight for sore eyes
site= location- constrution site
cite= to quote, recite, commend

Being in sales myself, I know how a simple syntax error on a quote or estimate can kill the deal.

Yep, handshakes say a lot about people. I remember this one guy a few years ago. He tried to come off all macho and order his wife around but shaking his hand was like shaking a dead fish, there was no grip, no firmness, nothing.

Here is the reality of handshakes, the original handshake was when two Anglo-Saxon men first came into contact with each other and proceeded to clasp their hand firmly upon the other man's forearm. This was done at first not as a general way of greeting, but instead was primarly done only when first entering into the presance of the King, Jarl, Nobleman, or any other leader or important person. The reason for this was to feel for a concealed weapon, such as a throwing dagger strapped to the visiting mans forearm that could be quickly accessed to assassinate the forementioned important person.
Later the clasping of hands moved from hand to forearm, into the clasping of hand to hand (resembling todays modern handshake) as a general form of greeting between two Anglo-Saxon men. However the previously mentioned hand to forearm greeting was also still in common usage, but typically was only used as a form of greeting and mutual respect between two warriors or comrades in arms who share a brotherhood unknown by non-combatents.

Being a form of greeting originally only used between men, as women of the time were not considered equals, the handshake was so much more than a simple introduction or hi how are you. The handshake was the measure of a man, a measure of his strength of character, his strength of will (the eye contact), the strength of his word (handshakes were just as good as a writen contract), and last but certainly not least it was a measure of his physical strength as well. Which could be used to determine a man's place among other men (Alfa Dog), his ability to work hard providing for his family, his ability to defend himself if attacked, and even his sexual vitallity.
So the firmness of a man's handshake often spoke volumes about the man.

In today's culture (by which i am refering to Anglo-Saxon or European/North American White culture and societies created by them)
the handshake is still the common form of greeting between men and now women as well.
And while the handshake still speaks volumes about men to other men as described above (although to a somewhat lesser extent), the addition of women to this formerlly men only way of greeting/measuring worth has caused no small amount of confusion among men, with something as simple as even when and how to proceed with the greeting (should he go first or wait for her to initiate, how hard should he grasp her hand, etc...)
Between men a handshake has changed little if at all. He should still grasp the other man's hand very firmly without accually causing injury while also being aware of the other man's age ie. a elderly man is just that he is your elder and is deserving of your respect without having to prove his worth through a very firm handshake, because he has no doubt proved his worth many times over throughout his life.
He should in all cases look the other man directly in the eye to show intrest and total attention expecially when shaking hands to seal a deal or when giving your word to do something.
A man that will not look you in the eye is not to be trusted and most probably has many things to hide/decieve you about.
A man that is not disabled or otherwise impaired who will not shake your hand very firmly, is most likely weak willed, weak in character, is one who thinks nothing of breaking a promise given, is most likely to be a coward and run at the first sign of a comfrintation someone you would not want to be watching your back, and most probably was raised by a woman and knows nothing about what it means to be a man.

i agree with gerry and Sean. We ought to do away with handshaking. i myself prefer bowing and do so frequently. i do it, not because i fear germs or such, even though it is a bit disgusting, especially when you know the shaker has not washed their hands. i bow because i believe that it is a better, greater form of showing that you respect the one you are greeting. In this day and age, a handshake is little more than an acknowledgement, saying "i see you standing there", whereas a bow is saying "i respect you and see you as someone who is worthy of life and worthy of respect". It would be nice if we all could get over the habit of shaking hands and bow instead.

This article only reflects the American mainstream cultural biases. My experience in some Native American communities was that a firm handshake showed a lack of respect or consideration. A light hand with a gentle clasp was much preferred.

I'm a female HR Manager and I promise you handshakes often make the difference between two or three equally qualified people. If a woman gives me the limp or 4 finger handshake; she's got to have a lot more going for her than the other candidates. Likewise if I get a real crusher, you probably won't get the job. I was taught a firm handshake when I was an adolescent and have on more than one occassion been complimented on it; usually by men who must get a lot of flimsy handshakes from women.
And to Heather: darling you might think you're charming enough to overcome your "unusual" handshake but HR Mgrs look at that a whole different way. Maybe you're too special to work as a team player; always looking for a little too much attention; non-conformist....In some areas that might be a desirable trait but not in most professions. When your on an interview you can convey those traits after you've impressed the interviewer; not before she's even met you.

I'm Native American and a good handshake is expected and more than welcome. A person who doesn't shake hands is very awkward, and waving "Hi" is more than rude. I don't care where you hands have been I ALWAYS wash mine.

CSW, your comments are judgmental and narrow minded. you should be ashamed of your assumptions on EVERY point you made on your response! (original message posted below)... you should look at your "small" minded views before you belittle someone else!

...and everyone complaining about weak/strong handshakers: maybe some people are shy, nervous or haven't perfected this pre-judging custom yet...

...here's a thought (!!!!): they may even be great workers and fit the company's personnel culture well! as interviewers, you should look deeper than initial first impressions. yes, sometimes they are right, but what if you dismissed the "perfect WORKer" based on a few-second shake and interview. I've seen many people who give great interviews get the job but made horrible workers (ethics) and co-workers...

yes, it's taken many years for me to learn the shake--and i still mess up time to time. i just say: "opps, i missed your hand", and give a big smile and eye contact to the person to reassure a positive recovery. practice helps a little but doesn't guarantee perfection at a stressful moment.

i agree, we should go back to bowing like from our pre-colonial days, nay the curtsey!

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CSW | Feb 5, 2010 | Reply
...your world must be so small that you have never been taught the importance of a first impression or the fact that you must work in a minimal job not to understand the importance of it. As a woman, when a man hands off a weaker handshake than me, I immediately remember the awkwardness of it and instantly assume he must be gay or at the least very feminine. You must be a weak handshaker and small minded.

Dear Yvonne, glad my post reached you and brightened your day. I am usually more charming but the handshake stuff hit my idiot button and there I go. By the by I am an idiot with a Ph.D. in a scientific discapline. Not middle management. What's the line about ass ume. Anyway Yvonne you have yourself a wonderful weekend and please consider the wisdon that I laid on you. Could help with the thick head problem.

Very well said and presented Linda. You are a joy to read. Origional and right on target with a gift of expression.

I got a 'dead fish' handshake form a senior exec once and immediately got the impression that he was a fake. This was later born out at a luncheon where he supposedly wanted to get to 'know' his employees. We were all wearing nametags but he called me 'Richard'. The man is a fake and a phony.

Amy you misy me, please aim straighter.

As a writer/reporter, I meet lots of people all the time of course. Im in my early 20s and im just working in launching my career. In my short experience, yes you can size a person up by the way they shake hands. (But it's not 100 percent true cause other things help define a person.)

I believe I have a professional clean cut handshake. But I have to tell you that when it comes to meeting men for interviews, some men definitely take it over the top as if they want to emphasize how "powerful", "stronger" and "viril" they are. Idk if its because im female and they expect a limp handshake. Or if they feel threatened or want to make it clear that im inferior to them lol.

Trust me guys, it's annoying and in my mind I know you are a weakling behind that bonecrushing handshake.

And don't say its because you are strong or thats how men shake hands with each other , or lift 300lb weights etc.. One can tell when you are trying too hard. Just like when a woman in a bar is wearing super revealing clothes that leave little to the imagination. What's your thought on that? yep, she's trying too hard.

Same with the handshake boys.

Head, hands, feet all full of energy; it's either a dance meant to be or not. Pure energy always is full of the truth, what we all really want out of the Big Handshake of Business; Relax, @ the end of the day it is business. Lets' shake on it and yes respect fine viewpnts/opinions

I just encountered an overly powerful handshake from a very small man at a networking event I recently attended. This was his first event and was definitely trying to stand out with his so-called "firm" handshake. I won't be shaking his hand ever again. It's great to be confident, but you could tell he was being overly assertive. He definitely needs to get a clue!

Good thing we're not in a Latino country, huh? We live in a place where a firm handshake is appreciated. No limp, dish-rag shakes here. It's just too bad that it USED to be a person's word was as good as his handshake. But, the world today is run by those that couldn't care less about what you have to say, just what's in it for for ME. So, with all the lawyers we have today, the fear of H1N1 and other diseases, the internet, texting, tweeting, faxing, emailing and "head-hunters," why do we still need handshakes?

From years of interviews, I've come to hate the interviewers with wimpy limp & sweaty handshakes. I've always kept in mind to give a good, firm handshake. Just a bit of a squeeze, a solid "pump" and then get to the interview.

Heather, a left handed shake is just bad manners in this country, and marks you as odd, not cute. The right handed shake originated to show that a person (usually male) was not carrying weapons. Also, some cultures only use their left hand to wipe their behinds, so be careful of the cultural differences when greeting strangers!

Lets set it straight! If you have arthritis or some hand illness and you give a weak shake, your excused. But when you extend your hand in business to greet someone and they blatently give you a limp hand or look away...that is down right rude and I don't want to work with you. I realize that some people are uptight about germs and a scared of touching someones hand...big deal...get over it...wash your hands. I feel lucky that that I was taught social graces at a young age. I feel bad that some people weren't! Can't we all just shake hands and get along!

I try and break bones when I shake, it's my way of saying if I dont get the job I will crush your face....never lost a job....... but I'm in the construction bissness so that might be why

Yeah, I agree with Sean. HAndshking in this H1N1 age, with hand sanitizers everywhere, should be done away with. Why don't we have the courage to delete this archaic ceremony?
At church, where the men shake hands, but the women do not, I grab peoples' forearms and force them to grab mine. they are used to me doing that now.

Handshaking is the most discussing thing we do on a daily bases with people we don't know
think about where that hand has been. So many people have very bad hygiene habits
Just a though next time you throw your hand out to someone you don't really know as they leave the restroom or just picked their what ever