You extend your hand walking into a job interview, meeting a friend, or sealing a deal. The handshake has become such a natural reflex that we rarely think about it. Yet behind this simple gesture lies a history spanning thousands of years, from proving you carried no weapon to a struggle for social equality.
A Gesture of Trust in Ancient Greece: Dexiosis
The oldest evidence archaeologists have found shows a handshake-like gesture practiced in ancient Greece as early as the 5th century BC. The Greeks called this gesture "dexiosis," a word rooted in "dexios," meaning "right hand."
Dexiosis was more than an ordinary greeting. On a funerary stele displayed at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, a soldier heading to war is depicted shaking hands with his family. Other steles show the deceased shaking hands with the gods or with those left behind as they passed into the afterlife. Dexiosis thus carried a wide range of meanings, from a farewell between mortals to a bond formed with the gods. What mattered was that the gesture implied equal status between the two parties — gods shook hands with gods, warriors with warriors.
A similar gesture appears in Roman times as well: the Romans called this handshake "dextrarum iunctio" and used it especially in wedding ceremonies to symbolize the bond of loyalty and union between spouses. The image was frequently carved on Roman sarcophagi and coins, becoming a symbol representing the sanctity of marriage.
Why the Right Hand?
It's no coincidence that handshaking is done almost universally with the right hand. Throughout history the vast majority of people have been right-handed, which also made the right hand the one that held a sword or dagger. Extending your right hand openly to another person carried the message: "I hold no weapon, I mean you no harm."
In medieval Europe, this security concern became even more concrete. It's said that knights and merchants, after clasping hands, would shake the arm up and down to check whether the other person had a hidden blade tucked in their sleeve. The handshake we still do today is thought to trace back to this security practice.
The Power of a Handshake: What a Firm Grip Says About You
Research shows the handshake is more than tradition — it's also a powerful tool of impression. A widely cited study published in 2000 found a direct link between handshake style and first impressions: a firmer handshake, paired with eye contact, left a more positive, confident impression on the other person. This finding helps explain why "a good handshake" is still taken so seriously in business settings today.
Interestingly, studies show that women who shake hands as firmly as men leave similarly positive impressions, suggesting the handshake has become, over time, a marker of gender equality as well. In some cultures, the duration and firmness of a handshake carry meaning too: in parts of the Middle East, a longer, gentler handshake signals warmth, while in countries like Germany, a short, single, firm grip is preferred.
From the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Era: Sealing a Deal
Throughout the Middle Ages, the handshake was also used to seal verbal agreements. In eras when written contracts weren't always possible or literacy wasn't widespread, a handshake between two parties carried the weight of a word of honor. Trade agreements between merchants, marriage contracts, and peace treaties were often finalized with a handshake — which also explains why the gesture is still used today to mean "it's a deal." Verbal handshake agreements are still referred to today as a "handshake agreement" in Anglo-Saxon law, and in some commercial disputes courts have treated them as binding.
The Quakers' Unexpected Contribution
The Religious Society of Friends — known as the Quakers — founded in England in the 1650s, played a key role in the handshake gaining its modern social status. Believing all people were equal before God, Quakers refused on principle to bow or tip their hats to those considered socially "superior."
Instead, they greeted everyone they met — regardless of social status, gender, or title — with a simple handshake. In the 18th century, particularly in North America, this Quaker practice helped popularize the handshake as a more "democratic" form of greeting, replacing hierarchical bows. As societies urbanized during the Industrial Revolution and social classes mixed more, the handshake largely replaced hierarchical gestures like bowing and curtsying.
A Ritual That Varies Across Cultures
While the handshake is today the standard greeting of business and daily life in Western societies, it is not the only universal way of greeting. Bowing (ojigi) in Japan, the palms-together namaste in India, and hand-kissing in parts of the Middle East remain strong traditions. Globalization has brought the handshake into business settings in these cultures too, but it hasn't fully replaced local greeting customs.
Even within the business world there's no single universal "correct" handshake: in the United States, a firm handshake with two or three pumps is considered standard, while in France a shorter, single grip is preferred. These small differences show why cultural sensitivity matters in international business meetings.
A Reflex Questioned After the Pandemic
The global pandemic of 2020 brought renewed scrutiny to a gesture unquestioned for centuries. Due to disease transmission risk, many workplaces and communities temporarily abandoned handshaking, experimenting with alternatives like elbow bumps or nods. Yet research suggests these alternatives don't fully replicate the handshake's power to convey trust and warmth. A habit thousands of years old isn't easily set aside.
In the end, this small gesture we perform without thinking carries layers of history — from an instinct to prove you're unarmed to a struggle for social equality. Next time you extend your hand, remember you're repeating a ritual thousands of years old.