One Kiss or Two?
The Art and Science of Saying Hello
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- 10,99 €
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- 10,99 €
Publisher Description
‘To kiss or not to kiss? This delightful book explores greeting etiquette across different cultures and provides a great deal of entertainment. I thoroughly recommend it.’ - Jane Goodall
Every encounter begins with a greeting. Be it a quick ‘Hello!’ or the somewhat longer and gracious ‘Sula manchwanta galunga omugobe!’ shaking hands or shaking, well, rather more private parts of our anatomy, we have been doing it many times daily for thousands of years. It should be the most straightforward thing in the world, but this apparently simple act is fraught with complications, leading to awkward misunderstandings and occasionally even outright violence.
In the illuminating and entertaining One Kiss or Two? Andy Scott goes down the rabbit hole to take a closer look at what greetings are all about. In looking at how they have developed, he discovers 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, Scott takes us on a captivating journey through a subject far richer than we might have expected.
***PRAISE FOR ONE KISS OR TWO?***
'Kissing hello is a social minefield... fortunately, Andy Scott may have some answers.' The Times
'Andy Scott reveals the origins and psychology of greetings and illuminates many other aspects of human behaviour with meticulous research, acute insight, infectious curiosity and gentle humour. You can tell a lot about a species from its greetings: this book introduces us to ourselves.' Kate Fox, bestselling author of Watching the English
'Scott's winning study combines scholarly rigour with a voice that is funny, warm and humane. I can t imagine a better guide to the intricate art of saying hello.' Joe Moran, author of Queuing for Beginners
'From Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi s deathclamp handshake to the penis-offering Walbiri in the Australian outback, learn the perfect greeting globally.' New Scientist, A Best Book of the Year
'Diplomat Andy Scott speculates on the origins of the cheek-kissing tradition... and how to avoid a social faux pas no matter where you are.' Conde Nast Traveler
'Fascinating... by the end of Scott s book, you see that if we stopped greeting, the world would come to an end.' The Lady
'From the ubiquitous handshake to the, thankfully, less popular genital grab, Andy Scott's vade mecum of the social science and background to the world's many greetings is infallible reading for any member of civilised society.' William Hanson, British etiquette coach and columnist
'Andy Scott has written an utterly charming and fascinating book. I will never be able to look at a handshake or a hug the same way again.' Joshua Foer, internationally bestselling author of Moonwalking with Einstein and co-founder of Atlas Obscura
'Who would have guessed that so much lies behind a greeting? As Scott demonstrates so ably, it's not just etiquette, but also history, evolution and brain function... popular science writing at its best.' Chris Frith, Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychology, UCL
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this enlightening if unapologetically personal survey of greeting customs from around the world, Scott, a former British diplomat, shares modern observations based on his own experiences and anthropological research. Inspired by the way his two pet cats greet each other, Scott covers a surprising range of physical contact that accompanies saying "hello," including face slapping (a common greeting among Central Eskimos), genital grabbing (from the Walbiri tribe in Australia), and the kissing of feet (which the author observed firsthand at Heathrow Airport). The book gleans insights from the work of Franz Boas, considered to be the father of the American school of anthropology; primatologist Jane Goodall; William Hanson, author of the Bluffer's Guide to Etiquette; and Adam Kendon, a professor at Oxford University in Cambridge who first deconstructed the elements of greetings in the 1960s. Scott weighs in on the importance of eye contact and the awkwardness of the peck-on-the-cheek embrace. He writes that undoubtedly the handshake is the most common greeting worldwide (although Scott personally prefers the fist bump because it transmits a fraction of the bacteria). Emphasizing the virtue of human connection throughout, Scott's buoyant study is reminiscent of the work of A.J. Jacobs in its breezy mix of pop sociology, personal anecdote, and self-help. Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the author's last name.
