DR has published a guide to the proper handshake, after Danmarksdemokraterne proposed that new students greet a member of school leadership of the opposite sex by hand on their first day.
The handshake is back in the spotlight in Denmark. In a feature published August 24, DR asked body language expert and speaker Niels Krøjgaard what makes a good handshake. He has worked with Rigspolitiet and PET on reading body language.
According to Krøjgaard, a good handshake is an equal handshake, with the hand held vertically in the grip. He advises against turning the palm too far upward, which signals submission, or the back of the hand up, which appears dominant. He names two common failures: the bone crusher and the limp version he calls the karkluden, or dishcloth.
Krøjgaard says the handshake still carries signals when people meet. As an example, he points to a young person greeting a master craftsman when applying for an apprenticeship. His final piece of advice concerns the eyes, not the hand: brief eye contact and a smile.
The DR feature notes that the handshake returned to the political agenda through a proposal from Danmarksdemokraterne. Per DR’s political coverage from August 20, new students on youth education programmes would have to shake hands with the rector or another member of the school leadership of the opposite sex on the first school day. Students who refuse would not be allowed to begin at the institution.
The same coverage states the handshake demand is part of a 15-point package aimed at negative social control and what the party calls dominanskultur at gymnasier and other programmes. The plan is set out on the party’s own policy page under the heading dominanskultur. DR compares the idea to the existing requirement that new citizens shake hands with a mayor at citizenship ceremonies.
How other outlets described the proposal
Politiken describes the package as a large catalogue of bans in schools, and reports that first-day students must shake hands with the rector and someone from the leadership of the opposite sex. The Copenhagen Post reported in English that the plan also requires students to speak only Danish. Nordjyske notes proposed restrictions on down jackets, caps and fasting.
DR’s feature also traces the history of the gesture. Depictions of handshakes exist from ancient Greece, though their meaning is unclear, and one theory holds that the right, unarmed hand showed peaceful intent. The first described handshake in Denmark appears in Jyske Lov from 1241, where it confirms an agreement in legally binding form.
Since the 1800s, according to the feature, the handshake has mainly served as a greeting that signals equality between people. Krøjgaard says that is why a firm, balanced grip still matters in first meetings.
