The Other Side, Daily Republic 5-7-09

Shaking the hand-shaking habit

By Kelvin Wade | | May 07, 2009 17:15

Swine flu cases have appeared in 41 states, with a probable case in Solano County. Schools have closed. But even though in many cases there's been an overreaction to H1N1, is it time we abandoned the handshake?

Donald Trump is on record as opposing the handshake. He believes it's a filthy habit. Comedian and germophobe Howie Mandel opts for a fist bump instead of a handshake. And upon first meeting then-Sen. Barack Obama, President Bush shook his hand and then turned to an aide for a dollop of hand sanitizer, as most politicians do.

The origin of handshaking is a mystery. One tale says it came from ancient Arabs who grasped hands in order to kiss the back of the hand. Another says it originated in medieval times with the gesture meaning to convey one is empty-handed with no weapons. But the ancient Greeks used it as a sign of friendliness.

It most likely originated because it was a way of maintaining distance while still embracing another person. And it beats sniffing rears like some animals do.

Yet science tells us the hands are the primary transmitters of infection. We cough and sneeze into them and we touch things. We touch door handles, restaurant chairs, shopping carts, ATM keypads, computer keyboards and mice. We share public restrooms. We touch railings as we walk through the mall and ride on escalators. We touch utensils in buffets that have been used by many. We handle money that has been handled by countless hands.

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has never been a fan of the handshake and thinks we should bump elbows as a greeting. On a recent episode of 'The View' Donald Trump said he'd rather the U.S. adopted bowing like the Japanese. Nobel Laureate Peter Agre, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, taught fellow scientists at a recent conference his new official handshake: holding one's hand up and moving it in a circle.

Meanwhile, in light of H1N1, colleges across the country have banned handshaking from their commencement ceremonies.

But I have a feeling the more the swine flu disappears in the rearview mirror, the more handshaking will make a comeback. It's too deeply ingrained in our society. It's what we do when we make a deal. It's automatic to grab a hand extended in your direction and off-putting to reject someone's hand.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson isn't afraid to shake hands. In 2002, in an act that probably horrified virologists, Richardson set a Guinness Book world record for most handshakes by a politician in an eight-hour period, shaking 13,392 hands. Richardson also claims to never use hand sanitizer but washes his hands regularly.

Maybe the answer is less physical contact during outbreaks and flu season and regular hand washing. Studies have consistently shown that as a society, we don't wash our hands enough. And despite Richardson's aversion to the substance, hand sanitizer won't hurt.

And while I know we live in a world of unpredictable bugs and grimy surfaces, I'm not prepared to lose the human connection of a handshake. Peace.

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For more on handshaking, visit the DR Other Side blog HERE.

And for those who missed the Beagle pancake video, see it HERE.