The Book of Tells (Peter Collett)[unlocked]

GREETING TELLS
However, when Gore appeared on Oprah's show he
politely shook her hand. Bush, in complete contrast,
kissed Oprah on the cheek. The way that the two
candidates greeted Oprah reinforced the public's perception
of Gore as cold and stiff, and of George W. Bush
as open and friendly. Little things, like the way someone
greets other people, can often have an enormous impact
on how they are seen.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of kiss:
• CHEEK KISSES. These tend to be social kisses and they
are used for greetings and farewells.
• MOUTH KISSES. They are usually part of sex and
romance. However, there are cases where mouth kisses
appear as part of the greeting ritual.
The English are widely regarded as rather cold and undemonstrative.
It therefore comes as something of a
surprise to discover that there was a time when the English
were the undisputed kissing champions of Europe. During
the fifteenth century it was common practice for men and
women to exchange kisses of friendship, even when they
were strangers. 10 When the Dutch scholar, Desiderius
Erasmus, visited England in 1499 the custom had reached
epidemic proportions. He wrote a letter to a friend, telling
him: 'Whenever you come you are received with a kiss by
all; when you take your leave, you are dismissed with
kisses; you return, kisses are repeated. They come to visit
you, kisses again; they leave you, you kiss them all
around. Should you meet anywhere, kisses in abundance,
wherever you move, there is nothing but kisses.' 11 These
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