PEEVE ››
People who squeeze or hold your hand for too long during a handshake.
I can't help but feel that a line has been crossed, here. Please let go.
— Diana from Brooklyn | Etiquette | 10.8.2008 | Comments (9)
COMMENTS ››
Can you give me a proper duration in seconds - because I know too short is bad also. Try counting the next time this happens. I wonder about this for hugs as well. Someone could make a chart for hugs, ranging from brief, obligatory, and manly to meaningful, and transcendent - subtracting, of course, two seconds for each pat on the back.
— Biffy
I think a handshake should be firm and take only about as long as it takes to look them in the eye, once. Hand out, one shake, eye contact, release. As for hugs -- one of the main differences between styles of hugs can be where and how you place your hands. Open palms placed on me, especially my back, always feels more "personal" than hands clenched up in fists, or hands clasping one's own arms, etc.
— Snatch
Handshakes -- yes, exactly, squeeze, release, that's it. Hugs are different, because one presumes that you're not doing it merely as a social convention, but because you want to hug someone. The duration is variable, depending on how long everyone wants to stay in the hug.
— Diana
Agree completely about handshakes. I think the "social hug" -- like for hello or goodbye -- is always awkward. Can we please just shake hands all the time or do the european kiss-kiss thing?
— Stuart
This happened to me the other day: someone tried to shake my hand, then hesitated halfway (unsure if it was the appropriate social convention? Suddenly suspected I have leprosy?), reconsidered, and continued with the handshake. Very unpleasant.
— Diana
A related peeve is when you are required to shake a disgusting hand. One time I was interviewed by somebody with the grossest hands ever. His fingernails were seriously the size of a pinhead. And as he was asking me about my qualifications -- I saw the source of the problem. He was chowing on his hands. The most out of control nail biting I've ever seen. The entire time I was wondering how I could avoid the post-interview handshake. I finally shook the hand and almost gagged during it. It's been about 18 months since it happened and it still sickens me.
— Tendra posted 10/8/2008
What's even worse is when someone squeezes WAY too hard, and it feels as though the bones of my hand are being crushed together. Good god, that's painful, and I have small hands so it happens far too often!
— Whitner posted 10/23/2008
I also dislike when they do this while gazing creepily into my eyes.
— Amanda posted 10/23/2008
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