Gripping fun

One of the dimensions of personality is the degree to which people seek excitement in their lives as opposed to being more stay-at-home safety bunnies. We call it thrill-seeking, sensation-seeking, risk-seeking and so on, but underneath it all is a need for arousal, which we all have to some extent. Some of us are aroused enough by reading a good thriller or playing a game of chess. Others, however, have a higher arousal threshold and have to take significant risks before they feel aroused.

An interesting bit of research by Bernhard Fink and colleagues found that men with a naturally stronger hand grip tend to be greater sensation seekers. This makes sense as higher levels of testosterone are related both to risk-taking and dominant behavior, which may include displays of strength.

A socially acceptable way of displaying strength is in greeting others is in shaking hands. This gives a dominant person a way of subtly sending their message of domination by gripping the other person's hand strongly. Strong handgrip can be natural and a firm grip is associated with confidence, but a stronger grip that causes pain has only one purpose.

Reference:
Fink, B., Hamdaoui, A., Wenig, F. and Neave, N. (2010). Hand-grip strength and sensation seeking, Personality and Individual Differences, 49, 7, 789?793

Quick links

The ChangingMinds Blog!

Gripping fun

Site Menu

You can buy books here

Quick links

Disciplines

Techniques

Principles

Explanations

Theories

And

Site Menu

Quick links

Disciplines

Techniques

Principles

Explanations

Theories

And