Handshakes as contextual cues: Conveying social meaning

Abstract

In an attempt to extend facets of the current literature on nonverbal behaviors to that of handshaking behavior, a production experiment examined whether variations handshake type and duration can be used to infer different social meanings. The study examined six different social contexts and four different degrees of intimacy within a dyad. Furthermore, the role of gender as a social factor was also examined. Participants were videotaped performed what they deemed to be an appropriate handshake in various controlled conditions. Specifically, social contexts of consolation, congratulations, greeting, farewell, agreement making and sporting rituals were examined along with close, acquaintance, stranger, and dislike levels of intimacy. Finally, analyses were conducted to examine the role of gender and gender pairing in regards to handshake behavior. Overall analyses of variance revealed variations in both type and duration across the different contexts, intimacy levels, and gender variables. Most notably, handshakes were significantly longer in the consolation context and with close friends of the same sex. Males and females also demonstrated different preferences for handshake type. Finally, this paper outlines the importance of conducting perception and naturalistic studies to supply converging operations to supplement this production study.