Get a grip, lads! The hidden secret of a firm handshake

DONALD Trump’s small hands have been a source of satirical fun for his opponents for years.

But a study suggests the US president might have the last laugh.

While his mitts might be on the wee side, his notorious strongman handshake means he is less likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction.

Researchers have found every 5kg increase in handgrip strength makes a man 18% less likely to have trouble performing in the bedroom.

Mr Trump is famed for his vice-like handshake, which lasted a full 19 seconds with Japanese prime minister Hinzo Abe. His white-knuckle encounter with Emmanuel Macron led the French president to almost lose his balance, with body language experts noting it is an ‘assertion of power and control’.

Experts say a vigorous handshake is the sign of muscle strength in both the hands and ‘lower extremities’. It is the loss of muscle strength which can cause erectile dysfunction, as well as declining testosterone, which also makes for a weaker handshake.

The study was carried out at Chonnam National University in South Korea, and the authors wrote: ‘The principal finding... was that men with lower handgrip strength had a higher risk of moderate to severe erectile dysfunction.

‘Also, our study demonstrated that erectile dysfunction was significantly associated with age, haemoglobin, self-related health and physical activity in ageing men.’

Handshakes have long been seen as a sign of dominance, allowing businessmen and politicians to gain the upper hand. Political analysts have been fascinated by Mr Trump’s particular greeting, where he grabs the hand of another person, yanks it abruptly towards him, and pumps it up and down vigorously.