From the course: Creating Great First Impressions

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The science of a perfect handshake

The science of a perfect handshake

From the course: Creating Great First Impressions

The science of a perfect handshake

- Neuroscience research from the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience found that strangers form a better first impression of those who offer their hand in greeting. This means it's a great idea to lead with a handshake. However, not all handshakes are created equal. Here are my five steps to giving the perfect handshake. Number one, palm to palm. The first goal of your handshake is to get palm to palm as quickly as possible. You want the palm of your hand to align with theirs. The trick here is never to give someone just your fingertips or stop too short. This will make it so you're finger to palm, which is not good for connection. Number two, vertical. Once you're palm to palm, always keep the handshake vertical. This means keeping your thumb pointed towards the sky and your pinky pointed towards the ground. Never flip someone's hand up or down, and try very hard not to offer your hand facing palm up or palm down. Always offer your hand in the ideal vertical position. This allows you to…

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