Will the fist bump eventually replace handshaking?
The
Los Angeles Times reports there's a movement afoot to end handshaking because it is a primary way that infectious diseases are spread.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 80 percent of all infections are transmitted by hands. Frequent hand washing can help curb the spread of flu and other conditions, which costs the nation more than $83.3 billion each year in lost productivity and medical bills.
But some individuals are more fastidious than others. As a result, Atlantic senior editor James Hamblin is on a mission to stop shaking hands and convince more Americans to embrace the fist bump as a more hygienic greeting.
"Handshaking is gross," he told the
Times, echoing a recent
Atlantic article he published —
"The Fist Bump Manifesto," after reading about the germ-curbing tactic in a medical journal.
Psychology Today also has called for ending handshaking and there's even a Website dedicated to the idea:
Stop Handshaking.
"I get emails from people who think this is a great idea," Hamblin said, "but it's going to require some real thought-leading pioneers to make a change."