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. Every encounter begins with a greeting. Air-kissing, handshakes, high-fives, nose-rubs, cheek-sniffing and foot-kissing, sticking out tongues, floor-spitting, applause, and face-slappingdifferent cultures have developed innumerable ways of showing pleasure at someones arrival. Humans have been greeting each other for thousands of years. It should be the most straightforward thing in the world, but this seemingly simple act is fraught with complications, leading to awkward misunderstandings, intercultural fumblings, and social gaffes that can potentially fracture relationships forever. Why is that? Why are greetings so important? Is there a right and wrong way to say hello? In his illuminating book One Kiss or Two? , Andy Scotta well-traveled former diplomat and no stranger to botched first contacts himselftakes a closer look at what greetings are all about. In discovering how they have developed over human history, he uncovers a kaleidoscopic world of etiquette, body-language, evolution, neuroscience, anthropology, and history. Through in-depth research and his personal experiences, and with the help of experts ranging from the world-famous primatologist Jane Goodall to the leading sociologist of the twentieth century Erving Goffman, Scott takes readers on a captivating journey through a subject far richer than we might have expected. By the end of it, we are able to make more sense of what lies behind greetingsand what it means to be human in the modern, cross-cultural age. Every encounter begins with a greeting. Air-kissing, handshakes, 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. Humans have been greeting each other for thousands of years. It should be the most straightforward thing in the world, but this seemingly simple act is fraught with complications, leading to awkward misunderstandings, intercultural fumblings, and social gaffes that can potentially fracture relationships forever. "[This book] takes a closer look at what greetings are all about in discovering how they have developed over human history"--Amazon.com. It's a minefield out there What's in a greeting? How to greet the Queen and the elusive art of etiquette The seductive science of body language and the quest for the perfect handshake When in Rome The genital grab and the evolutionary origins of greetings It's all in the mind Forget about chimpanzees Back to the Future or a Brave New World? Goodbye!