Handshakes are so important to individuals in the business world that they devote entire classes on proper handshaking etiquette. This study offers a deeper look into how personality is demonstrated through handshaking. I choose this topic because I have always seen a positive correlation between someone’s personality and their handshake. I believe that you can learn a great deal about someone from how they shake your hand. This was not a true experiment in the sense of manipulating variables, but the results were important and should be followed up on. I learned from the introduction section that historically handshaking was mainly engaged in by men as a common greeting. Many legends claim that the handshake was used between men/opponents to indicate level of aggression. The authors researched the extensive literature devoted to handshaking etiquette as well as three studies by Astroem and his colleagues. Astroem authored each study in conjunction different colleagues per study. His first study involved psychiatric inpatients so results were limited. The second study included 25 males and 25 female, all of normal intelligence. The limitation of this study was that there was only one male experimenter; he assessed both males and females on hand temperature, dryness, strength, and consistency of grip. Astroem used a Swedish personality inventory to determine how the results related to personality. Astroem’s final study was based on interviews with 47 individuals he determined were experienced hand shakers such as clergy, salesmen, and therapists. He concluded that there was enough evidence to state there was a correlation between handshaking and personality. However; the amount of research on this topic is very limited. Acco... ... middle of paper ... ...ressions; which could assist your career or cause it to falter. People only get one chance to make a first impression so a firm handshake goes a long way. I regard handshakes as a link between two people. What does it say about your character if you present someone with a limp, passive hand? I personally distrust people that do not firmly grasp my hand and look me in the eye. In my opinion, personality dimensions of the rater are also reflected in how a handshake is received. I think this is a very fascinating subject that has many implications. I also think that a cultural component needs to be assessed in a study. Handshakes are culturally bound; in some countries it is a personal insult to shake hands with the hand you wipe yourself. There are many more of these cultural handshake taboos that should also be taken into account as well as personality traits.
H1 - There is a statistically significant difference in touching behaviour between male and female couples when observed in social situation.
Formal greeting calls for a prolonged handshake with the left hand to support the right arm and direct eye contact to show respect
The second person I approached to start a conversation was of African American descent and in his early twenties. His handshake was firm and he was not hesitant in answering my questions and held the conversation for a short while. On the other hand, in my staring at a stranger experiment, the woman was of Indian descent in her late thirties. She caught me staring before looking down at her phone and she was the only one to not look back at me.
Culture impacts the interpretation of body language, which includes “eye contact”, “personal space”, and “bow” (Hurn 2014). The British anthropologist Edward Burnett Tylor (1871) defines culture as a set of social standards containing “social values” “custom”, and “religious beliefs” (1). In order to avoid embarrassments in conversation with people who hold different social values, believe in unlike religions or are influenced by diverse custom, it is vital to evaluate how culture affects explanations of body language and how cultural differences will cause misunderstandings among speakers.
My coworker will sometimes greet me with a hug and very seldom with handshakes. When I complement her on her success at the SKILLSUSA competition, she smiles, gives me a tight hug, and then says thank you. Other ways we use haptics is by giving hi-fives for an achievement. This demonstrates the kinesics communication with the smile and haptics communication with the embrace and hi-five. The haptics communication characteristics could also be a part of her culture values. My coworker is Mexican and their tradition is to greet with a hug and kiss. Furthermore, women tend to engage in touching more than men. Touching is perceived differently by culture and is continued in the work life of many people, regardless of gender or culture. Touch should also be used with caution because of the different cultural values. According to Phutela (2015), any actual touching can convey attraction or a level of intimacy, e.g., shaking hands, patting the back, hugging, pushing, or other kinds of
To be successful in business, one must be able to perceive and use nonverbal cues to one’s advantage. It has been noted by communication experts that when two people have face-to-face communication only a small percentage of the message is delivered through the words they use. The majority of the message is understood and received through nonverbal communication behaviors. These behaviors include gestures, postures, facial expressions, and even clothing; all of which can interfere with the verbal messages that a person is trying to deliver. Although, the importance of nonverbal cues has not been examined extensively in the workplace, it makes sense that they would have a strong impact on any communication both in and out of the realm of business. The ability to perceive and to use nonverbal cues to one’s advantage in the workplace gives the business individual the necessary skill and power to achieve their desired level of success.
There are a lot of form of nonverbal communication and its varies by culture. A gesture or signal in Asean it could be differ in Europe. An american like to point something by using index finger whereas a Japanese is more like to point something with a hand, and we should appreciate this difference and respect other culture.(28) Apart from that, different in culture also can be seen during express the emotion. Some of the culture are more restrained and some are more vulnerable in display their emotion in public.(23) Another nonverbal behaviour that have different in culture is eye contact. In some country like America, prolonged gaze may showing a sign of interest in someone’s word but in certain
Matthews, G., Deary, I. J., & Whiteman, M. C. (2009). Personality traits. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Any communication interaction involves two major components in terms of how people are perceived: verbal, or what words are spoken and nonverbal, the cues such as facial expressions, posture, verbal intonations, and other body gestures. Many people believe it is their words that convey the primary messages but it is really their nonverbal cues. The hypothesis for this research paper was: facial expressions directly impact how a person is perceived. A brief literature search confirmed this hypothesis.
If a person is crossing their arms, it is not only considered rude, it is considered disrespectful. In my opinion, it is considered disrespectful because it is like the person is closing themselves off from the conversation or the people in the conversation. It also makes people believe that you do not like them and that you are better than them. Also, it can be viewed as being defiant, in some movies, if a person is told to do something they cross their arms and turn away completely ignoring the person. Another disrespectful body language action would be rolling of the eyes. It is considered disrespectful; however just about fifty to sixty years ago, it was a form a flirting. That is why older people may not understand why a person is rolling their eyes when they are annoyed. Until just recently, people rolling their eyes were a sign of liking someone not a sign of an annoyance. It may be hard to believe that this immoral body language was once a sign of affection. An additional horrible body language for a person to get out of especially when in a job interview is fidgeting. Fidgeting in a normal conversation is completely fine, but limit the amount of fidgeting
Friedman, H. S., & Schustack, M. W. (2012). Personality: Classic theories and modern research (5th ed). Boston , MA, USA: Pearson
Despite how us humans are prone to communication, communication is a complex phenomena. That is why Personal and Scholarly concepts are made, to act as a guide, making communication easy. Personal theories are based on, one’s own observation about how they themself communicate. Scholarly theories and concepts are based on evidence and research. Though the fundamentals of personal and scholarly theory are different, they can often relate to each other. My two personal theories are related to non-verbal communication. While conversing, I have a tendency to avoid eye contact. I usually have to refrain myself from averting my eyes while conversing. My other non-verbal theory is about how I give different types of hugs, depending on the relationship
Since everyone has their own perspectives of life, and everyone perceives things differently there are many theories that attempt to explain how humans perceive life in general terms. One of these more prominent theories is Clifford Geertz’s thick description theory. This theory states that people view the world through two lenses, these lenses being one of thick description and the other of a thin description. One’s use of the thick description is to look at anything within a society and understand the deeper meaning behind it. If we look at the act of shaking hands but it is also a sign of mutual respect and trust. By viewing the world with is idea, one can see the hidden meanings that are within even the basic things we do. On the other hand, Geertz’s thin description would look at what the act was, for what it appears to be. In turn the hand shake would be described as, two people are connecting limbs and moving them up and down. Something that can be also view through this lens would be American asking how someone is doing, after saying hello. Most American don't care and reply with “good” or “alright”, but it has become something meaningless, that has lost all context within a thick description. By perceiving things like this, one can build their ideal of their identity and personality. The lenses that Geertz discussed within his theory play a large role in defining how one understands and processes
Mccrae, R. R. and Costa Jr, P. T. 1997. Personality trait structure as a human universal. American psychologist, 52 (5), p. 509.
Learning to be a master in the art of handshakes can make one able to pass the initial greeting of an interview and the formal goodbye. It is known worldwide and has been a cultural ritual since the 5th century B.C.E. It is a sign of peace, of friendship, and of respect. If done correctly, with confidence and poise, always will one be triumphant.