2. Introduction A handshake is a short ritual in which two people grasp one of each other's like hands, in most cases accompanied by a brief up and down movement of the grasped hands.
3. HISTORY Archaeological ruins and ancient texts show that handshaking was practiced in ancient Greece as far back as the 5th century BC ; a depiction of two soldiers shaking hands can be found on part of a 5th century BC funerary stele on display in the Pergamum Museum, Berlin and other funerary steles like the one of the 4th century BC which depicts Thrashes and his wife Euandria handshaking.
4. TYPES OF HAND SHAKE Sweaty Palms When a person is nervous their sympathetic nervous system often becomes overactive, sometimes resulting in sweaty palms.
5. Dead Fish Indifferent handshakes that feel like the person has no bones in their hand often indicate a passive or reserved personality. This handshake ranks as the number two least favoured. Individuals with this type of clasp are generally not people-focused.
6. Brush-off This handshake type is a quick grasp and then a release that feels like your hand being shoved aside. This handshake is a statement of “it’s my turf and my agenda that matters, yours doesn’t.”
7. Controller You feel your hand being pulled toward the person or strongly guided in a different direction, perhaps towards a chair. People who do this are controllers. This means they want to dominate any inanimate or animate object in the room (and that would include you). If your goals are different than theirs there may be challenges ahead.
8. Politician Your hand is firmly grasped as in a normal handshake. However, their other hand may cover yours or be placed on your forearm or shoulder. Unless the two of you are good friends, this is a form of false sincerity. The person is attempting to communicate that the two of you have a deeper relationship than you actually have.
9. Finger Vice When someone grabs your fingers and not your entire hand it is meant to keep you at a distance. These people are often insecure.
10. Bone Crusher The message of squeezing your hand until you cringe is clearly designed to intimidate you. Even when the person may not know how strong they are, there is still a message of intimidation and power behind the grip.
11. Lobster Claw Like the claw of a lobster, the other person’s thumb and fingers touch the palm of your hand. The person doing this fears connecting at a deep level and may have challenges building relationships. Take your time.
12. Hand Wrestler Your hand is taken normally and then twisted under the other person’s. This is usually done aggressively.
13. Teacup This handshake feels normal except that there is no palm-to-palm contact. The other person’s palm is cupped, like a teacup. This handshake indicates that the person is hiding something from you
