After reading this, you'll never shake hands again
Think a handshake represents a friendly, professional way of greeting? Think again. Hand-shaking is a major way of spreading disease in Western cultures.
Ancient custom
The practice of hand-shaking has been around for more than 2,000 years. It was documented in the times of antiquity, as portrayed on this ancient Greek flask. But the ancient Greeks, who thought illness was related to a imbalance of humors in the body and represented punishment from the gods, never made a connection between hand-shaking and disease.
Gesture of peace
Hand-shaking is believed to originate in how, for two strangers meeting for the first time, approaching each other with open right hands demonstrates a lack of weapons. On a neurochemical level, a proper handshake can release chemicals in the brain including the bonding hormone oxytocin, which can promote harmony and friendship. But researchers have found it's a significant way to spread disease.
Layers of meaning
Not only does hand-shaking pass along germs, it carries unspoken meaning - yet this can vary by culture. A firm handshake is positively perceived to show decisiveness in Western societies, while Eastern societies generally prefer weaker or "limp" handshakes to prevent imparting a sense of dominance. Regardless, whenever you shake hands, you come away with more than just a lasting impression.
Nasty habit
Hand-shaking can transmit viruses like the cold or flu, parasites like scabies, and bacteria such as Staphylococcus (pictured above). Someone who has a cold could wipe their dripping nose, leaving mucus teeming with rhinovirus on that person's hand. When you shake hands with them and then touch your eye, you can catch that infection. Still eager to shake hands?
Proper hygiene for prevention
One surefire way to prevent the spread of disease, including through handshakes, is to wash your hands with warm water and soap on a regular basis. But many people simply don't bother: In one observational study, only two-thirds of men washed their hands after using a public restroom. Which might make you ask yourself: Do I actually want to shake hands with the next stranger I meet?
Handshake phobia
Prominent figures - including Bill Gates and Donald Trump - reportedly simply do not shake hands due to the disease factor. A person who is hand-shaking phobic could always carry around a small bottle of hand-sanitizer and constantly use it. But that person runs the risk of seeming obsessive and strange. Although there are some proposals for alternatives to shaking hands …
'No offense, it just makes sense!'
A recent study proposed banning handshakes from healthcare settings altogether. Hospitals could be made into handshake-free zones, for example. As more people come to understand the link between the handshake and the spread of disease, the "anti-handshake" movement even seems to be gaining momentum. But what could replace the glorious gesture?
The mighty fist bump
A study has shown that exchanging greetings via fist bump, or a brief touch between the outer portions of two fists, transmits 90 percent fewer infectious organisms than the handshake. And with people like Barack and Michelle Obama setting the example, perhaps that could become the next big thing.