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Updated: Apr 16, 2026
14:05
One Dimensional Turing-Like Handshake Test for Motor Intelligence
Published on: December 15, 2010
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A social chemosignaling function for human handshaking
Idan Frumin1, Ofer Perl1, Yaara Endevelt-Shapira1
1Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Elife
|March 4, 2015
Summary
Human handshakes may facilitate the subconscious transfer of social chemosignals. This study found people sniff their hands more after shaking them, suggesting a role in olfactory communication.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Behavior
- Olfactory Communication
Background:
- Social chemosignaling influences human behavior, but transmission mechanisms are unclear.
- The functional purpose of handshakes in human greetings remains largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if handshakes serve as a mechanism for sampling conspecific social chemosignals.
- To explore the role of olfactory cues in handshake interactions.
Main Methods:
- Covertly filmed 271 subjects during structured greeting events, with and without handshakes.
- Analyzed sniffing behavior of participants' hands post-greeting.
- Introduced unnoticed odors to verify the olfactory nature of observed effects.
Main Results:
- Humans frequently sniff their own hands, increasing this behavior significantly after a handshake.
- Post-handshake sniffing increased by over 100% on the right hand (within gender) and left hand (across gender).
- Observed effects were significantly altered by introduced odors, confirming their olfactory basis.
Conclusions:
- Handshaking may function as a method for active, yet subliminal, social chemosignaling.
- This olfactory communication likely plays a significant role in human social interactions and behavior.
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