The handshake is definitely one of the strangest social customs that exist. Like a stupid word which reveals its strangeness once you start thinking about it conciously, the handshake seems ridiculous in the moment one questions it.
My understanding is that the gesture began as a kind of pat-down to show that neither party was hiding weapons in their sleeves (think "roman" handshake -- clasped at the forearms), and gradually evolved to what we have now.
Similarly, I heard that clinking glasses originally came from the host pouring some of their drink into your cup (and vice versa), thereby mixing the drinks and proving that neither cup was poisoned. Eventually this evolved into the symbolic tap we do now.
I'm used to handshakes for non blood related males (friends, business contacts) and kisses in the cheeks for relatives and females.
In Anglo-Saxon and Germanic countries women default to the handshake even outside of business settings. I find it odd and still have difficulties adjusting to that.
Hehe as someone from Germany living in Sweden, I find this constant cheek kissing with quasi strangers in Southern or Western Europe or the Spanish speaking world pretty akward. But I understand that it's feels normal to most who grew up with it.
It's strange because it's unhygenic but a strong "social lock in" makes it essentially impossible to abstain without sending the signal of being socially awkward.
As a social construct, there'd be no need for going through the procedure, yet everyone basically has to go through it because everyone else does.
Considering that there are plenty of cultures in which handshakes are not commom (like in many Asian countries), there doesn't seem to be any good justification why it's done elsewhere, other than "custom". But not every custom actually is reasonable.
I'd say there's certainly much odder customs than that.
Touching someone is an intimate act between two people. A handshake is a gesture at the least intimate end of that scale. It's a way of mutually saying "we are no longer complete strangers, we are two people who know each other well enough to actually touch each other... but not too much".
One could argue that it's extremely intimate considering how people use their hands for anything. If the guy whose hand your shaking didn't wash his hands after the restroom, how is that not intimate? :)
I actually prefer hugging over handshakes due to my personal perception of it as less intimate.
> I do. But I also have to admit that the general public not always shows the best reasoning :P
Nor the worst.
> From an hygienic point of view at least, I'd find it possible to argue that hugging is less "intimate" than a handshake.
> Most people's subjective perception might be different of course.
Yes it is different and I'll explain why: if a male and female hug each other, her breast will touch (via clothes) his chest. Especially if she has large breast. This can regularly lead to her getting hard nipples, and it might cause a chain reaction (ie. she figures she fancies him or might fancy him). Males know this (tho very young males might not). How's that not more intimate than shaking hands?
Another reason why hugging is intimate is that whilst hugging (feeling each other's body) you don't see each other at that point, and you don't see each other's arms or hands.
Yet another reason is, its traditionally part of foreplay for sex.
The problem of hygiene as you mentioned is partially solved by washing your hands before dinner.
As for hygiene, as a general note, you might wanna check your keyboard and touchscreens for bacteria. Tho neither existed in the Victorian era.
