Quote:
Originally Posted by nonsubmissivewife
See, this seems really odd to me. My parents actually taught me that when your in a situation where you're meeting someone new, especially someone older, you should shake their hand. And it's very common place in business, among men and women alike.
Maybe my momma really didn't raise me right...
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Personally, I was never actually "taught" how to shake hands in any certain way. It just became pretty obvious after being put in positions where you experienced handshakes in various situations, and/or seeing it happen in your environment. I think the only guidance I ever had was people saying you should shake your interviewer's (for a job) hand firmly and meet their gaze directly and confidently. I can't really think of any teachings or advice beyond what I saw for myself.
Maybe it's just our culture, though. It just seems normal to me to always shake hands upon a first greeting, in a professional setting, regardless of gender. If I were shaking a male's hand, it would be firm, but a female's, it wouldn't be
as firm. But it wouldn't be a sloppy fish. And it certainly wouldn't be a cheek kiss in any scenario. Not in the south, at least.
As far as friends are concerned, it really would depend on how long it has been since I've seen them and how close we are. For best male friends I haven't seen in a long time, it defaults to the standard half-shake/thumb-lock thing with a possible shoulder-bump and inclusion of a back pat a few times. For female friends, it's always a hug.
Otherwise, for casual friends, there is no shaking or hugging of anything. It's just a vocal greeting.
I'm sure there's a generational aspect at work as well.