Body Language of The Country Handshake
Cue: Country Handshake
Synonym(s): N/A
Description: A handshake where people lean in, sometimes extremely, rather than move closer.
In One Sentence: The Country handshake is one where each person keeps a significant amount of space in between themselves.
How To Use it: Use the Country handshake when greeting people who are not accustomed to close proximity.
Context: Business.
Verbal Translation: “I need a lot of personal space so I’m going to plant my feet at a distance, or back up, and away from you. To make up this gap, I’ll then lean forward and extend my hand out and away from myself. Personal space is important to me.”
Variant: A variant to the country handshake is the city handshake which includes greater proximity and represents people who are require less personal space in order to feel comfortable.
Also see Country Handshake (The), Cold Dead Wet Fish Handshake, Double Gripper Politician Handshake or Double Hander (The), Short Grabber/Finger Grabber Handshake, Oddball Handshake, Palm Up, Palm Down and Palm Even Handshakes, Stiff Arm And Thrust Forward Handshake, Death Grip Handshake, Wrench Forward Handshake, Undershaker Handshake, Wrist Hold Handshake, Wrist Hold Handshake and Upper Arm Grip Handshake, Limp Fish Handshake, Teacup Handshake, Arm Twister Handshake (The), Firm handshake, Fist Bumping.
Cue In Action: The salesman was accustomed to working with city folk, but when he was put on duty to speak with farmers about their choice in fertilizer, he was met with suspicion. When greeting farmers he shrunk the distance to try to build intimacy, but he found it difficult. The farmers would always seem to be running away or turning away as if they were too busy to talk. When the farmers shook hands, they would usually extend their hands way out, if they would at all, and when he approached closely they would lean back awkwardly. After a short meeting with his boss, the salesman resorted to waves from the edge of the laneway and dropped the handshake altogether. He found that the farmers were much more receptive.
Meaning and/or Motivation: People who live in the country are accustomed to having a high amount of space around them, so shaking hands is usually a breach of their personal space. A long distance wave is preferred.
When a handshake is tolerated, country men will extend their hands away from their bodies so as to protect from encroachment. Even city people who have high needs for personal space, will maintain their territorial bubble by thrusting their hand out. During a handshake that violates personal space, a person my thrust their arm forward during the handshake in efforts to push the other person back. This shows dominance and authority coupled with a desire for much larger personal space.
The country handshake represents a greater desire for personal space and a larger personal space bubble than normal.
Cue Cluster: The country handshake will be coupled with other cues such as turning the head away, angling the torso away, moving the body back after shaking hands and less frequent eye contact.
Body Language Category: Closed body language, Distancing or moving away, Escape movements, Idiosyncratic body language, Intention movements, Space invasion, Shy nonverbal, Social touching.
Resources:
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