I wouldn't consider myself a health freak, by any measure. I don't eat the best of diets, my vitamins are always out of whack, and my sleep schedule is atrocious, yet I rarely get sick. It's an odd brag, but throughout my childhood, I'd chalked it up to a good immune system, but research shows there might be an even better reason; I don't shake hands.
It's estimated that 80% of common infections actually are shared through hands (1), meaning that refusing a simple handshake can actually keep you healthy. Considering that something as 'small' as the common cold costs the economy about $20 billion a year and costs those with the illness about $7.7 billion in physician visits (2), getting rid of this outdated practice can provide a boost to the economy.
The handshake also has little to no real necessity in our society. It originated as a way to show whoever you were meeting with that you weren't carrying any weapons, but now simply holds cultural significance. Phasing it out of our society wouldn't negatively impact us in any way and could help in preventing another Covid like event.
Even if you wish to continue this practice, we also need to stop judging those who don't want to. Some folks are germophobes and aren't trying to insult you by not shaking your hand, they're just worrying about getting sick. This especially applies during times like Covid or the cold and flu season. Some people cannot afford to take sick time, and if not shaking your hand decreases the likelihood of needing to do that, can you really take that personally?
In my experience, I just don't like the feeling of touching most people's skin. It's weird, and I'd rather not do it. Yet folks will get offended by this as if I'm taking a shot at their entire family. Even if I was refusing to shake their hand because I didn't like them, being mad about it is weird. All I'm trying to say is that not shaking hands could actually be a positive change we can make.
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