At work today, one of the new head honchos came to visit. I've spokne to him but never formally met him. When I shook his hand, he gave me one of the limp dead fish handshakes. It just came as a surprise and I always wonder about men who don't give firm handshakes.

For the men here: Do you tend to give firm handshakes or do you gently grasp someone's hand?

Firm is the only way....

Limp handshakes seem almost disrespectful to me....

I like a solid handshake from both men or women - I shake a hand hard so ...

yes, I always give a firm one.
Men who give limp shakes just seem weak.

limp handshakes creep me out!

Mach said:

I hate that shit from women too.

SCNDLS said:

yeah, like they're too cute to properly shake a hand.

1sexymf said:

My homegirl a former beauty queen calls it the fake ass beauty queen handshake.

Limp handshakes have always been thought to be insincere yet I heard recently that the opposite is true.



s edit
[Edited 1/14/09 7:51am]

I was tought in the first 5 minutes, by my first boss, at my first job at the age of 14 to always give a firm handshake.

He made me do it twice.

errant said:

Smart man.

I am anti-handshaking. What is it besides an empty gesture and a very efficient method of getting germs from one host to another?

can't be bothered

it says nothing about one's personality whatsoever


(i've once been critisized for it , i don't do it anymore though )
[Edited 1/14/09 8:00am]

Ace said:

me too

i hate to get somewhere and see acquaintances and have to shake all their hands

what's the purpose ?
[Edited 1/14/09 8:04am]

Ace said:

True. I've found that rubbing one's cock-end against another's cock-end is a much more efficient and hygienic way to greet somebody.

Dewrede said:

I'm trying to get out of the handshake game. I still do it occasionally, in my professional life, but I'm phasing it out of the personal.

Cloudbuster said:

Yes! Good point - an overly firm one just says how desperate you are to be seen to be giving a good firm handshake to show how genuine you are. But genuine doesn't come from being proven, genuine just is, isn't it? If you get my badly-worded point!

So: a weak handshake is saying "I'm not really interested in you" or at least "I don't trust/ feel comfortable with you"
a VERY firm one says "I am faking it"

so one in the middle must be the way to go, right?

Cloudbuster said:

More efficient? I'd probably take issue with that. More hygenic? Probably.

touch knuckles

(can't think of another word for the act)

(replying to Ace)
[Edited 1/14/09 8:07am]

I can't stand a limp handshake.
I know some ladies try to be demure, but I don't like it on a woman either.

A limp handshake sends me the message you could not care less to be meeting me.
Which, come to think of it... maybe they couldn't.

Dewrede said:

fist bump

thanks

Cloudbuster said:

Guys that nearly knock you off balance in their eagerness to firmly/violently shake your hand are annoying.

Dewrede said:

that's "Terrorist Fist Bump" to the layperson...

johnart said:

why does it ?

RenHoek said:

no , no just gently

rocknrolldave said:

I would suggest that, the next time someone offers their hand in greeting, you say, "Keep that filthy paw away from me! Surely we're more sophisticated than to believe that the ritual of grasping each other's hand has any impactful meaning?"

Either that or wear a hazmat suit.

Dewrede said:

"Fist-bump". Employed by Howard Stern, Baba Booey, Howie Mandel and Donald Trump (although Trump is reluctant to do even this).

errant said:

I don;t like bone crushers. Men that do that are probably insecure and have to prove how manly they are by almost cracking your knuckles when they hand shake.

i like it way better than a handshake