The Ultimate Body Language Book

misrepresent touching as a sexual advance especially if your company is of the opposite sex. Then
again, touch avoidance might also be misconstrued as rude or standoffish to a high context culture. An
attempt should be made to follow cultural norms out of respect so in a high context culture one must
fight the natural urge to pull back to avoid offending and in a low context culture we should respect
their need for privacy and personal space by limiting touching.
Here is a quick breakdown of countries by touch tolerances:
[A] English-speaking countries (Canada, United States), Australia, Japan and northern Europe. Avoid
casual touching.
[B] China, France, India. Accept some casual touching.
[C] Latin America, South America, Africa, the Mediterranean, Middle East, Italy, Russia and parts of
Asia. Freely use casual touching.
Chapter 3 – Cultural Differences
The Ways Cultures Meet And Greet
Bowing is a courtesy gesture that is performed by bending the waist at about fifteen degrees and occurs
between members of about the same age and status. Bending to a full forty-five degrees is reserved to
show the highest degree of politeness which you might show to someone of particularly high social
status. The general rule applying to bows says that the lower ranking individual bows first, further and
longer. In very casual settings a simple head nod would suffice. Still, in other settings, a handshake
might accompany the bow and this is fast becoming the norm in Chinese society. The bow has origins
related to status since it leaves the head vulnerable to attack showing trust. In Muslim and in Judaism
the bow is seen as a gesture between God and his people, and is therefore frowned up as a gesture
between those of equal status. In European cultures, the bow is used by men alone, whereas women
perform their version, the curtsy, where the leg is tucked behind the other followed by a slight dip.
Bows are traditional in Korea, Japan and to some degree China though not as formalized.
The full salaam is a traditional greeting in Arabic speaking countries and Islamic countries but of which
is losing popularity. It is done by sweeping the right arm upwards from the heart above the head. It
begins by placing the hand in the center of the chest over the heart, palm to chest, then moving upwards
to touch the forehead, then rotating the palm out and up slight above head height in a sweeping motion.
In the abbreviated salaam the head is dropped forward or bowed and the forehead, or mouth, or both, is
touched with the fingertips then swept away. The namaste is a greeting done in India by placing both
hands together palm to palm across the chest and bowing slightly. It’s origins like the handshake and
wave demonstrates that no weapon is present.
Cheek kissing is another greeting gesture common in certain parts of the world. Kissing is common in
Switzerland, Southern Europe, the Mediterranean and Latin America. Italians, Hispanic and French
establishments will also kiss hello even while living in North America. Other pockets of kiss hellos’s
are located in Miami and also Quebec where there is a heavy influence of Latin American and
European immigrants. Others who kiss include Scandinavians who use a single kiss, the French who
use the double kiss, and the Dutch, Belgians and Arabs who use the triple kiss. The kiss hello occurs
when both people lean forward and either lightly touch cheeks together or where the lip partially
touches the check. Generally the person will simply kiss the air rather than the actual cheek. Many
variations exist of who kisses who and how. For example, women would kiss women in Southern
Europe and women would kiss men, but men kissing men varies specifically from country to country.
In Argentina and Uruguay, however, it is fairly common for male friends to kiss.