Researchers at the University of Manchester in England have turned their attention to uncovering the perfect handshake, one of the oldest, most common social customs on the planet, and a key factor in many first impressions.
The scientists identified 12 key factors that people consider in a good handshake, including vigour, eye contact, hand temperature, positioning and the length of the handshake. (Despite a good amount of searching, I can’t seem to hunt down all 12; the most I found came from this Ummah article). According to Professor Geoffrey Beattie, head of psychological sciences at the University of Manchester, the perfect handshake looks something like this:
The rules for men and women are the same: right hand, a complete grip and a firm squeeze (but not too strong) in a mid-point position between yourself and the other person, a cool and dry palm, approximately three shakes, with a medium level of vigor, held for no longer than two to three seconds, with eye contact kept throughout and a good natural smile with a slow offset with, of course, an appropriate accompanying verbal statement, make up the basic constituent parts for the perfect handshake.
Sounds about right. It’d be nice to see more details on the study, but so far it looks like there’s just a boilerplate press release. In the meantime, let’s hear what you like in a handshake — or what makes you absolutely cringe — in the comments. Photo by Orin Zebest.
A Formula for the Perfect Handshake? [Discovery News]
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