Why do we shake hands? (origins of everyday things)

You've shaken thousands of hands in your life, but do you know why? The popular story says it proves you're unarmed. Historians say that part can't be proven. The real history is stranger: a carved treaty between two ancient kings, a Greek farewell gesture, a group of Quakers who refused to bow, and a lab study that caught people sniffing their hands after a handshake. In this video from Curiosity Roots, we trace the handshake from ancient Mesopotamia to your daily life, and look at what modern science says it actually does to trust, honesty, and first impressions. 📚 SOURCES ▫️Schroeder, J., Risen, J. L., Gino, F., & Norton, M. I. (2019). Handshaking promotes deal-making by signaling cooperative intent. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. ▫️Chaplin, W. F., Phillips, J. B., Brown, J. D., Clanton, N. R., & Stein, J. L. (2000). Handshaking, gender, personality, and first impressions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. ▫️Dolcos, F., Sung, K., Argo, J. J., Flor-Henry, S., & Dolcos, S. (2012). The power of a handshake: neural correlates of evaluative judgments in observed social interactions. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. ▫️Frumin, I., et al. (2015). A social chemosignaling function for human handshaking. eLife. ▫️The Shalmaneser III and Marduk-zakir-shumi I relief from Ashur (9th century BC), held in the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin. 💬 YOUR TURN What everyday habit should we trace back next? Maybe why we say "bless you" or why we clink glasses. Tell me in the comments, and I read them. 🔔 SUBSCRIBE to Curiosity Roots for more videos on the surprising history behind everyday things. Turn on notifications so you don't miss the next one. 👍 If you learned something, a LIKE helps this video reach more curious people. #handshake #historyexplained #originsofeverydaythings #psychology #didyouknow #curiosityroots