English people shake
hands less than their continental brothers an sisters.
It is said, for
instance, that the average Frenchman shakes hands 598 times a month; the
average Englishman shakes hands once or twice a week.
In some countries,
people shake hands with everyone present when they enter a room. In other
countries, friends shake hands every time they meet or part.
Three situations where
English people genrally shake hands are: when they are introduced, when they
are conclude a business deal, and after a disagreement, as a gesture of
reconciliation.
It is curious that
boxers shake hands as a gesture of reconciliation before the disagreement!