One Kiss or Two?: The Art and Science of Saying Hello

You can order coffee in six languages, but how do you fare when it comes to the nebulous practice of greeting? Do you aspire to be a citizen of the world? Do you want to avoid intercultural fumbling when meeting new people? In an increasingly global and connected world, our ways of saying hello have become more confusing than ever. In One Kiss or Two? historian and diplomat Andy Scott takes us on a journey into the world of greetings and the people who study them, exploring how different cultures say hello. Air-kissing, high-fives, nose-rubs, cheek-sniffing and foot-kissing, sticking out tongues, floor-spitting, applause and face-slapping—different cultures have developed innumerable ways of showing pleasure at someone's arrival.In this illuminating book on how to say hello, Scott explains that first impressions involve a complex and multi-sensory range of signals. What people say is also important, but it's the physical act of greeting that often has the biggest impact, with research suggesting that our body language carries around five times the impact of what comes out of our mouths—all of which is enough for business leaders and politicians to have commissioned scientific studies into finding the perfect handshake. One Kiss or Two? is essential reading for anyone traveling and working in the cross-cultural, modern age and global citizens determined to avoid social gaffes in important situations.