A firm handshake may feel more British, but a Continental kiss is healthier for you.
People who greet each other with handshakes are much more likely to pass on germs such as flu, cold and stomach bugs, than those who settle for a peck on the cheek, a scientific study has concluded.
Our hands come in contact with many more surfaces than our mouths and therefore carry a variety of germs. Our hands also lack the anti bacterial effects of saliva.
Germs (bacteria , virus etc) are present on all surfaces and also in air suspended in tiny droplets called fomites aiding in their transfer from one infected person to another.
Prof John Oxford, Britain’s leading flu expert and a virologist at Barts hospital and the London School of Medicine, said social kissing might help cut infections: “Social kissing on the cheek would not easily transfer infection while viruses can spread via the hands far more easily.”