A handshake is a kind of ritual in which people shake their hands, the right hand. Archaeological proofs show that people use to shake their hands from the second century BC. The handshake is thought to be a gesture of peace to demonstrate that they didn’t have weapons in their hands.
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The handshake begins when to hands touch. This is a gesture commonly used in greeting, meeting, offering, parting, expressing gratitude or congratulating. It is also done in competitive activities such as sports. Its purpose is to create balance, trust and equality. When you handshake, you should use bare hands because otherwise it can be seen as a derogatory behavior.

Handshaking is also used in business situations. Men are more likely to shake hands, in casual situations. You should never have a weak handshake because people consider it a sign of weakness. These weak handshakes are also called ,, dead fish’’ or ,,limp fish”. On the other hand, you shouldn’t have strong handshake either because it is not nice to show dominance.

Everyone knows how important first impression is, therefore the handshake has a great importance when you meet people.

Handshakes have various customs specific to different cultures. It is considered inappropriate to refuse to shake hands with someone. Lord Baden-Powell instituted a convention in which individuals used their left hands in order to shake hands. This convention was instituted after Baden-Powel heard a legend. Sororities, fraternities and secret societies use handshakes in order to be different from the outside members.

Dating from 1960, the American culture has a shake called ,,Soul Brother Handshake’’ which initially appeared among African-American men. This shake is also called ,,Unity’’ or ,,Power’’ shake. It is often seen among teenagers who are close friends. ,,Soul Brother Handshake’’ is formed from three moves , beginning with a palm to palm clasp followed by a clasping of the thumb and then by a clasp of the fingers. In Oriental countries the handshakes are weaker than in Europe and America.

An old tradition of the Arabic people is that they accompanied the handshake with a salutation: As-Salamu Alaykum which translated means ,,peace be upon you’’. The Moroccans give a kiss on the cheek to a person from the same gender. And in other countries , people they use to put an arm under the heart.

Handshakes can be cool handshakes or formal . You can create a handshake that’s unique and it is not ridiculous. Here are some steps to create a cool handshake:

-         begin with a usual handshake

-         give a strong handshake

-         play with the thumbs

-         pull the other person to you

-         and if you are close friend you can even bump shoulders.

Make your handshake unique by saying something cool using the shoulder bump. Say something like ,, Yo!’’ or ,,What’s up!’’. Although you thing that your handshake  is cool, not everyone will have this opinion. So don’t try your cool handshake when you go on an interview or you are meeting your girlfriend’s parents. It might be funny to you, but not to them. These people are looking for respect.

Let me give you some advices about how to  create a cool secret handshake. First of all you have to choose the friends you want to know this cool secret handshake because if someone else knows about it, it no longer be a cool secret handshake. You should decide on a quick and complex handshake that will be difficult to imitate. All you have to do know is to mesmerize the onlookers with it.

Handshaking is a simple gesture that people do every day. In business, the handshake is considered to be the first communication with the customer. Five factors will determine the handshake: degree of firmness, eye contact, depth of interlock, degree of dryness of the land and length.

Western handshakes are short , consisting in one movement that takes about three minutes. The African handshake takes longer and consists of more than one movement.

People have different zones that allow to  get close to them. We differentiated four zones: public zone, social zone, personal zone, intimate zone.

Gestures can speak more about us than we know. The crossing of legs, the unbuttoning or buttoning of the jacket, how you grab a glass of wine are just a few examples of body language. By learning to detect emotions or even sexual messages, you can tell how  a person is influenced by you. You can send messages of flirtation and friendship. You can detect if someone is lying, is someone is bored or defensive and in this way you can improve your control in everyday situations.

Yet many us don’t understand body language and don’t realize how their gestures can make an impressions to others. By their gestures people speak about their real intentions. By reading other body language we can become a human lie detector. You can tell many things from facial expressions, blinking eyes and get to better both your enemies and your friends.

There are various styles of shaking hands: the knuckle grinder handshake, fingertip grab, stiff-arm thrust, arm-pull handshake and double-handed handshake.

Body language has a crucial role in many situations of everyday life. Living in a society makes us behave properly (or we ought to). The handshake is one of the first gestures with the opponent so don’t underestimate its importance because it has an important role in creating the first impression.