I knew it! I knew it. Looks like Army of Two was onto something after all.
How do you greet people when you first meet them? Do you reach out a hand and grab on for dear life, as though you’re about to slip off the deck of the Titanic into the icy depths below? Or do you coolly extend a fist as if to say, “Go ahead, lay one on me. You know how this works”?
Well, the second one is somewhat less likely to kill you.
EurekaAlert brings us a study from the Institute of Biological, Environmental, and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University in which researchers tested various greetings — fist bumps, handshakes, and high fives — to figure out which transfers the fewest germs. The result? Fist bumps won by a landslide.
“After the exchange, the receiving gloves were immersed in a solution to count the number of bacteria transferred during contact. Nearly twice as many bacteria were transferred during a handshake compared to the high-five, and significantly fewer bacteria were transferred during a fist bump than a high-five. In all three forms of greeting, a longer duration of contact and stronger grips were further associated with increased bacterial transmission.”
The researchers argued that turning fist bumps into the social norm could “substantially reduce the transmission of infectious diseases between individuals.” I’ve been trying to cut back on my transmission of infectious diseases lately, so that’s really good news!
In short, be a bro about this. Well, at least in the “see the world through a Terminator-like UI of potential fist bump targets” sense. We’re no longer just talking about a perfect, infinitely meaningful greeting/expression of affection/thing to do after you just shot a hundred dudes. This is a matter of life and death. Or at least life and a nasty case of the sniffles.
Comments
13 responses to “Fist Bumps Better Than Handshakes, Says Science”
Studies also show that if you don’t drive your car, you’re less likely to get into a traffic incident.
Pictures or it didn’t happen.
Also, birthdays are good for you. Studies show that the more you have, the longer you’re likely to live.
But the more you’ve had, the worse your future seems.
Now you’re just mixing spouses and birthdays!
Yes. It would seem that life is terminal.
Studies show that studies show useful information quiet often.
Yes, studies do show information with no loud sound effects…
Your not giving an alternative. Are buses safer than cars? Or Taxi?
They can’t helps it, Toki. Not everyone gets the advantage of superior Scandinavians egucation.
If you play Army of Two splitscreen and do virtual fistbumps then it will reduce the risk of germs even further. I’m a genius!
Just don’t share controllers!
Providing that you don’t ever share controllers, I assume.
Is that because no one will ever play with you?
The point of the hand shake is to check/show that there isn’t a weapon in that hand. Fist bumping won’t help there. Of course most people don’t care weapons any more. And it doesn’t protect you against lefties. Or weapons with +7 ranged attack.
Best fist bump goes to Solid and Liquid in MGS4