Handshake

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For the usage in telecommunications, see handshaking.

Shaking with the right hand while delivering a certificate with the left.

A handshake is a short ritual in which two people grasp their right or left hands, often accompanied by a brief shake of the grasped hands. It is commonly done upon meeting, departing, offering congratulations, or completing an agreement. Its purpose is to demonstrate good will, and possibly originated as a gesture showing that the hand holds no weapon. Among friends and family members, men are more likely to shake hands than women, however in business situations it is considered the standard greeting for both sexes.

[edit] Customs

There are various customs surrounding handshakes, both generically and specific to certain cultures:

Generally it is considered inappropriate to reject a handshake, and in most social circles it is expected that the one with higher social status will initiate it.
In some cultures people shake both hands, but in most cultures people shake the right hand.
Scouts specifically use a left handshake. Since the right hand is more commonly dominant, the left hand would typically be used in holding a shield; by shaking with the left hand, one is defenseless while trusting the other person who may still be holding a weapon in the right hand. [1] Also, the left hand is specifically used because it is closer to the heart.
Fraternities and sororities often use secret handshakes to identify themselves as initiated brothers or sisters to outside members.
In American culture, there is a "Soul Brother Handshake," also called a "Power" or "Unity" shake, dating to the 1960s, begun among African-American men, and still widely practiced between men of various races and paticularly among teenage boys as a gesture of close friendship. This is usually a three move procedure, beginning with a traditional, palm-to-palm clasp, followed in quick succession by a clasping at the hilt of the thumbs, and finally, by a hooked clasp of only the fingers, in the manner of railroad couplers. Variations include the above, followed by an exchange of facing palm slaps, as in "Gimme Five," or fist bumping, tops-to-bottoms, "the face slap", or knuckles-to-knuckles.