What a handshake reveals about your personality

In modern times, a handshake is a sign of welcome. Open palms indicate openness, while touching palms indicate becoming one. The etiquette of shaking hands originated in medieval Europe. Although the form is simple, it has many rules. For example, young people, juniors, men, and subordinates should not extend their hands actively. Only when elders, respected people, or ladies extend their hands can they respond and shake hands. And everyone shakes hands differently.

American psychologist Elaine Garland pointed out in her book that the way a person shakes hands with others can reflect his personality. This is relatively easy to understand: someone who shakes hands vigorously usually shows that he is very proactive and full of confidence. On the contrary, someone who does not shake hands vigorously certainly shows that he is weak or has a fragile character. People who keep going up to shake hands with strangers at a dance party or in public are people with rich social experience and a desire for self-expression. In addition, the temperature of the other person's hands can also provide a glimpse into the other person's subtle psychological activities.

Because in the human body, when emotional changes such as terror or fright occur, the autonomic nervous consciousness that has nothing to do with oneself will suddenly become active and cause conditions such as respiratory tension, changes in blood pressure and pulse, or excitement of sweat glands. If you shake hands with someone and find that his palms are sweaty, this means that the other person is in a state of high spirits, or it can be said that he is losing his psychological balance. Some women appear cold on the surface, but if you hold her hand, you will find that her palms are sweaty. This is because the man's appearance, body, language, atmosphere, etc., arouse some kind of excitement in her. From this we can see that we can peek into the other person's inner secrets by the strength of the handshake and the feeling of the palms.

Several key points of handshake

The important points of handshake are "initiative", "timing", "strength" and "thumb". In other words, they believe that if you want to observe a person's character from a handshake, then you need to see how long the person shakes hands, how much force they use, etc.

How you shake hands reveals your personality

(1) The “initiative” of handshake

In formal occasions, according to convention, the party who extends the hand first is the "dominant party", but some people who are impatient and rush to do things are also accustomed to extending their arms from a long distance, and they can't wait to run up to the other party and shake hands with him. It can be seen that this kind of person is accustomed to the style of being bossy in daily life. In his view, everything should evolve according to his own ideas. In contrast, there are those who are not proactive when shaking hands with others. This type of people are meticulous, do not show their emotions on their faces, and are more reserved in their behavior and actions.

(2) Length of handshake

Regarding the length of a handshake, people set the time point at 3 seconds. If the handshake lasts longer than 3 seconds, it means that the person has a relatively soft personality, is not resolute and decisive enough in doing things, and is easily hesitant. Of course, this type of people also have their own advantages, that is, they are careful and cautious and never fight a battle without confidence. If the handshake is just a light touch, it means that the person is in a hurry and tends to make decisions quickly without giving it a second thought. The advantage of this type of people is that they act decisively and never drag their feet.

(3) Grip strength

Generally speaking, people who shake hands with greater force and at a faster frequency are hardliners who can easily impose their own thoughts and opinions on others. They have a strong desire to control. On the contrary, those who shake hands cautiously and at a slower frequency are often considerate, sensitive and sentimental by nature, and will often suppress some minor unpleasantness for a long time.

Generally speaking, people who like to squeeze other people's hands tend to do things in a hurry and rarely listen to other people's opinions. However, this approach of not suppressing their true feelings releases the pressure in their hearts. In fact, those who shake hands with others gently for fear of hurting the other person are more dangerous.

(4) The “thumbs-up” handshake

Before shaking hands with others, we can observe the other person's hand, and the focus of the observation is the thumb. In Western culture, the thumb has the most representative meaning. I don't know if you have noticed that when some people shake hands with others, their thumbs and four fingers form a 90° angle, while for others, their thumbs appear to be relatively "upside down". The former type of people seem full of energy and enthusiasm, while the latter type of people appear very tired and listless. If your thumb hangs listlessly towards your index finger when you shake hands with someone, it will be easy for the other person to sense that you are empty and insecure.

The correct way to shake hands

In the complex business interpersonal relationships, handshakes and unusual gestures are direct bases for judging the other person's character. So, what is the best way to shake hands? Geoffrey Beatty, director of the Department of Psychology at the University of Manchester in the UK, believes that the perfect way to shake hands is to use a dry right hand, shake it three times with moderate force, naturally and unpretentiously, and the time should be controlled within 2 to 3 seconds. In addition, pay attention to eye contact when shaking hands and keep smiling to show your sincerity. If it is a handshake between men, then using a little force can show that you are energetic, sunny and confident; if the other party is a woman, then this quick process needs to be much gentler.