How Did The Handshake Originate?

A handshake basically is a small ritual in which two people clutch their right or left hands frequently accompanied by a short shake of the grasped hands. It is normally done on meeting, departing, offering congratulation, or completing an agreement. The basic idea of a handshake is to display good will, and is said to have originated as a sign showing that the hands hold no weapons. Between friends and family, usually males shake hands more often than females. Whereas in business meetings; it is assumed to be the typical greeting for both the sexes.

Usually it is thought to be inappropriate to refuse a handshake, and in a number of social circles it is projected than the person with higher social status will instigate it. Handshakes are the main route for the transmission of common cold bacterias.