5. Why do we shake hands?
Why Do We Do That?
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The Scent of the Handshake
The handshake was always seen as like this really prim and proper gentlemanly thing. Now it's basically our polite human version of sniffing each other's bums. I think that the handshake is a unit of touch and touch is biological. Whether it's a hug, a kiss or a handshake, we humans just need it. Some cultures around the world do just fine by not having touch-based greetings with strangers. For most people, touch speaks to something innate inside of us. It communicates warmth, affection and yeah, it also gives us an opportunity to smell each other. We are at the end of the day, animals.
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