North America: United States and Canada

American and Canadian Greetings:

One of the most common American stereotypes is that we always shake hands when we see each other.  Now, you and I both know that this stereotype is false.  We don't always shake hands.  We actually usually do less than that.  

To understand how Americans and Canadians greet each other, we first need to discuss how these countries view personal space.  We value our personal space.  We don't touch.  It is uncomfortable when someone is in your personal "bubble."  We prefer not to have strangers near us and it requires a more developed relationship with someone before he or she is allowed to touch us or even be close to us.  It is almost like we are closed off.

 So what is an acceptable greeting in American and Canadian society?

Well, for starters, when you greet someone for the first time, you generally do not touch.  You say "hello " and introduce yourself.  However, generally, you do not make physical contact.  Often, you give an awkward head nod and an awkward wave. Also, Americans and Canadians rely heavily on verbal greetings.  We often just say "hello" or "how are you?" 

In a formal setting, we use a short and strong handshake.  This could be during an interview, a business meeting or when you are meeting a person of a higher professional status.  This is often the way two men greet each other, also.  The handshake is not the most common greeting but it is an important gesture in American and Canadian culture.

Once you become familiar with someone, you are allowed to make physical contact.  Most commonly, we hug.  Once you have established a relationship with someone, it is acceptable to hug.  We hug our friends and our family.  We hug to say hello and we hug to say good-bye.  By giving someone a hug, it establishes the level of your relationship with someone.  In addition to hugging, the older generation also gives a kiss on the cheek.  This is not common in the younger generations. However, men and women rarely hug unless they are old friends or family.  In American and Canadian society, hugging a member of the opposite gender could mean that you have a romantic relationship of some sort and the hug could be offensive to the significant other of one of the pair.

Last but not least, we have the fist pump.  The fist pump is a newer greeting that is heavily used by the younger generation.  Most commonly, men use this greeting but women can use it to.  This could be a sign of hello or could be a way to congratulate or commemorate someone on something.  This could simply be used to say "good job" at a sporting event or successfully working together in a team.


My Experiences:

When I studied abroad in Spain, I had become used to the method of greeting there.  Europeans don't have the same definition of personal space (I will talk about this in my next post).  When I came back, I realized how awkward our system of greeting actually is.  I felt like I should have been doing more, instead of awkwardly standing there, staring at the person.


From the Outside:

I had talked with a Spanish exchange student at college this year and I asked him how he felt about our greetings.   He said he often had to quiet himself down when he met someone and he found it awkward that we don't want to be touched.  He said that girls often thought he was flirting with them when really he was just following his culture.


Video:

This video will help you further understand the American and Canadian style of greeting.