Handshakes longer than 3 seconds ‘cause anxiety’

DONALD Trump made headlines in 2017 when a handshake between himself and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe lasted a bizarre 19 seconds.

The US President’s agonising 25-second grip on France’s Emmanuel Macron later that year also attracted a lot of attention.

But a study has shown that the ideal handshake length is around three seconds – and any longer makes us anxious.

In an experiment, 4 people were asked to meet a researcher who shook their hand for either two to three seconds or up to six seconds.

Those who received a longer handshake seemed less happy, laughing much less during conversation later, while showing clear signs of anxiety.

Too long a handshake violates social code, according to the study published in journal Perceptual And Motor Skills. Lead author Dr Emese Nagy, of the University of Dundee, said: ‘Handshakes can have longlasting consequences for the relationships that we form.’

Participants were first greeted without a handshake by a chatty researcher who gave them two personality questionnaires. Then, a second researcher entered the room and greeted a third of the group with no handshake, a third with a ‘normal’ handshake and the rest with a longer one of five to six seconds.

Those given the ‘extreme’ handshake laughed for around half the time with the second researcher compared to the first. And they displayed more discomfort and social anxiety, spending 20 seconds longer touching their own hands – a telltale sign. They were also less friendly after a long handshake.