In the US, we have already spent many church services without the exchange of peace, an Easter without a huggable Easter Bunny, and Passover without touching. What will social interactions look like when this is all over? In a low touch culture like East Asia, such as China, Japan, and Korea, they go back to their normal, ie., no handshakes and no hugs. Cordial well wishes are exchanged by a friendly wave and nods, with their face masks on. In East Asia, people read the eyes for a smile induced squint behind the face masks. In another low touch culture area like Scandinavia, where people don’t exchange kisses as a greeting, the Scandinavians might adjust better to the new normal. For high touch cultures, such as Greece or France, that adjustment will cause more hesitations and awkwardness. In the US, people are less used to reading facial expressions with someone who wears a face mask as it gives an impression of unfriendliness. Will Americans get better at reading facial expressions with face masks on? How will you adjust or adapt greeting business partners? Read The Guardian’s full article, When this is all over, I will not stop hugging my friends.
Photo by Erika Giraud on Unsplash
