Let's Shake On It

We use it to say hello and goodbye. It’s a greeting when we meet someone new and a sign of mutual goodwill and peace. This common form of communication all around the world is called "the handshake."

Business deals worth billions of dollars conclude countless times a day with handshakes. The intimacy of two people touching each other’s hands makes its way to the highest levels of government and society where agreements among nations are sealed. The beginning of the handshake gesture is not defined in history. However, early examples of the practice are found among the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Babylonians as long ago as 1800 BC.

When two people clasp hands, they usually shake or pump their hands in unison for a brief time. That shaking comes from a religious ritual used by the Babylonians. They would grasp and shake the statues of gods at the beginning of a new year. This was a sign that the authority of the god was being transferred into the next year. 

Shaking hands evolved into a symbol of peace. Historians agree that hand shaking was a way for warriors to show each other that they held no weapons in their hands. Military societies such as the ancient Romans used the hand shake as a cultural greeting the same way we use it today.

An incorrect depiction of Romans greeting each other with handshakes shows them holding each other’s right wrists. Examples of ancient statues, reliefs and paintings always show the handshake being used the same way we do it now. Examples of Roman soldiers incorrectly holding wrists during a hand shake are in Hollywood movies about ancient warriors because it gives the scenes a manly, dramatic look. Soldiers often use concealed knives in their sleeves and arm guards; so the idea makes sense, even though it’s wrong.

A relatively new nonverbal gesture that’s gaining popularity in our society is a fist bump. It began with professional football players in the 1970s as an offshoot of the high-five. It’s a very casual greeting and form of approval among friends. In the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, candidate Barack Obama started a media frenzy when he fist bumped his wife Michelle.

Touching only the knuckles of the right hands, the fist bump is an alternative to the skin contact of a hand shake for people who are concerned with the spread of disease. In areas of dense population, people use the fist bump in place of the handshake to avoid contacting flu. The casualness of the bump, however, prevents it from replacing the handshake in most situations.  

People seeking public office are known as the most prolific hand shakers. During public appearances during campaigns, office seekers will pump the hands of hundreds of people. They call it pressing the flesh, and that full hand contact can’t be replaced with knuckle contact.

Thanks for reading this blog. See my website at www.joevlatino.com. Your can read information about my book of short stories, “The Device.”