Shake or Bow?
For the public health, is bowing a better practice than shaking hands? Investigator Theda Turnbull, who lives in the United States, thinks maybe that is the case. Inspired by the recent suggestion by investigator Sakae Inouye (see that here), she writes:
I’ve been thinking for a while that the Japanese habit of bowing has it all over shaking hands, or God forbid kissing, from a public-health perspective. Perhaps that’s why they live longer and healthier than most people do: it’s not the sushi and seaweed after all.
We would be interested to hear of any published medical studies (please send the complete citations) that might shed light on this question.