Greeting people with a handshake has been a part of our culture for many generations.
At one time in our history, handshakes were used to show that both people were unarmed.
Good handshake etiquette calls for a quick firm handshake to show friendliness and an interest in the person you are meeting.
A firm handshake is NOT a bone-crushing handshake!
Most people who use a vice grip handshake sometimes do so because they have an inferiority complex. By crushing someone else’s hand they somehow feel superior.
Almost as bad as the bone-crusher is the dead-fish handshake.
When people receive a limp dead-fish handshake they automatically get the impression that the greeter has no interest in meeting them.
Another unwelcome handshake is from a greeter who won’t let go of your hand. When shaking hands with a greeter who clings to your hand, slowly but forcefully pull your hand down and back, breaking their grip.
And then there is the two-handed handshake when they grab your hand with both of theirs. A variation of the two handed handshake is when they grab your hand with their right hand and your wrist with their left hand.
Two-handed handshakes should be gentle and reserved for old friends who have known each other for a long time.
Another strange handshake is when the greeter grips your fingers instead of your entire hand. It’s as if they are afraid you may contaminate them.
And of course we have all been amused by the arm-pumper. They grab your hand and pump their arm up and down as if they were trying to pump water from an old dry well.
A good handshake should be no more than a couple of seconds long.