Humans have been developing their bodies and minds for
millions of years. Natural selection has
carried along characteristics that date back to our earliest origins as well as
some that have developed along the way.
Unfortunately, there is little record of this long history. We only attained the ability to leave lasting
descriptions of our activities a few thousand years ago. Historians often make the mistake of assuming
our behavior in that short, hectic, and chaotic period defines who we fundamentally
are. Since the recorded history
available to us was filled with war, violence, and male domination, it is
assumed that those represent the core of our character. Given that background it is not to surprising
that experts generally conclude that the origin of the humble handshake was as
a mechanism of defense against a potential assailant. This source provides this explanation.
“The history
of the handshake dates back to the 5th century B.C. in Greece. It was a symbol
of peace, showing that neither person was carrying a weapon. ... Some say that
the shaking gesture of the handshake started in Medieval Europe. Knights would
shake the hand of others in an attempt to shake loose any hidden weapons.”
This hypothesis paints a rather depressing view of humans
and their tendencies. It is just as
likely that humans spent most of their existence learning how to become a
cooperative, social species where collaboration for the common good was the necessary
rule. In this view, our past few
thousand years were an aberration which we are relying on our intrinsic pro-social
nature to overcome. A recent study
suggests that we humans are born into this world inheriting traits that are
millions of years old. Who we are
depends on those hidden eons of evolution—probably more so than the horrible
past few thousand years. An article by George Dvorsky, Toddlers and Chimpanzees Share a Surprising Unspoken Language, reports on a
research paper that observed human children before they acquired the ability to
speak with speechless chimps of all ages.
The chimps were observed in the wild, and the human children in their
natural habitats. Both species were
required to communicate with gestures in order to accomplish what they
wished. The result was that young
children and chimpanzees shared the majority of the gestures that were
utilized.
“Results show that toddlers
between 12 to 24 months use nearly 90 percent of the same gestures employed by
juvenile and adult chimps, including hugging, jumping, stomping, and throwing
objects. The presence of this shared gestural repertoire, the researchers say,
suggests these behaviors are innate—a legacy of our shared evolutionary
history.”
Some may be uncomfortable with this type of approach.
“’Wild chimpanzees, gorillas,
bonobos and orangutans all use gestures to communicate their day-to-day
requests, but until now there was always one ape missing from the picture—us,’
explained Catherine Hobaiter, a senior author of the paper and a scientist at
the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews. ‘We
used exactly the same approach to study young chimpanzees and children, which
makes sense—children are just tiny apes’.”
This sharing of characteristics with other animals,
particularly the other apes, is on a firm scientific footing. For example, our emotional makeup has an
ancient origin tied to our physical bodies and is shared with many other
animals.
Getting back to the humble handshake, one of the gestures
we share with the chimp is the outstretched, palm-up hand.
This gesture has several meanings for both humans and
chimps. It can be begging, it can be
demanding, or it can be an expression of submission. It is the latter instance that is of interest
here. Consider a person struggling to
explain to an audience how something bad happened. He is likely to stand with both arms stretched
and palms up submitting to whatever fate befell him. The palms-up expression of submission means
something different in chimps. They develop
a well-defined hierarchy with a dominant alpha male. Unless a chimp wishes to challenge the
dominant male for his position, it is best to keep a low profile. Should a chimp arouse the suspicion of the
alpha, he has several options for expressing that he is no threat and is
satisfied with the leadership of the alpha.
One such gesture is the outstretched hand with palm up. The alpha, if he so chooses can respond with
touching the outstretched hand—palm down of course.
One of humanity’s greatest accomplishments was to shed
this alpha male concept. While we still
have leaders and subordinates, the terms of engagement have changed, and such explicit
acts of submission are no longer mandatory.
Instead of today’s handshake as an indication of our violent recent
heritage, why not look at it as a result of our past improvement in social
behavior. Consider the handshake to be a
transition from the palms-up/palms-down fealty of the chimp to an expression of
mutual respect with the palms turned sideways, essentially saying let’s assume
we are equals and let’s proceed as such.
We are a better species than our recent history would
suggest. Let’s embrace that knowledge
and see where that takes us.
The interested reader might find the following articles
informative.
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