Hand shaking is a gross, germy tradition, right? Not according to new research at John Hopkins University.
When researchers analyzed samples after over 5,000 handshakes at graduation ceremonies, they found only one case of an illness-causing type of bacteria from the right hands. (Elementary school graduations were even considered, and those hands just can’t be clean!)
“Harmful bacteria usually prefer moist areas, like between the fingers and cuticles,” explains David Bishai, M.D., Ph.D., professor of health economics at Johns Hopkins University, and lead author of the study. “But handshakes are usually limited to the dry palms.” So even if the other person is harboring nasty germs, you usually won’t contract them with a mere handshake. (Related from MensHealth.com: Why you should Initiate a Handshake)
Dr. Bishai also notes that successive handshakes could have removed bacteria from earlier handshakes, so they wouldn’t show up in the study results. And they didn’t test for viruses—meaning they didn’t look at the flu and viruses that cause the common cold.
“But still, we shouldn’t be so afraid of touching other people,” says Dr. Bishai. “There isn’t as much risk as most people think.”
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