Personal Space

• Compared to most people in the U.S., Latin Americans are accustomed to standing and sitting close to people who are not well known to them. Even within the majority population in the U.S. there are important variations in the size of the personal space comfort zone.
• People from the Middle East may stand quite close when talking with each other.
• In some Muslim cultures, a woman may be alarmed if a man, even a male physician, stands or sits too close to her.

Touching

• In some cultures, light touching of the arm or a light kiss to the cheek is very common, even among people who have just met. People from Latin America and Eastern Europe may be very comfortable with this kind of touching, whereas people from many Asian cultures may prefer less physical contact with acquaintances.
• Touching another person’s head is considered offensive by some people from Asia and the Middle East. It is therefore inappropriate to pat a child on the head.
• Some Chinese may be uncomfortable with physical contact early in a relationship. Although many Chinese will use a handshake to greet a Westerner, any other contact may be considered inappropriate. This is especially important to remember when dealing with older people or those in positions of authority.
• Men in Egypt tend to be more touch-oriented; a handshake may be accompanied by a gentle touching of the recipient’s elbow with the fingers of the left hand.
• A strong, warm handshake is the traditional greeting between men in Latin America. However, because most Latin Americans show affection easily, male friends, like female friends, may embrace. Women may lightly brush their cheeks together.
• Throughout most of the Middle East, it is the custom to reserve the left hand for bodily hygiene. For this reason, one should never offer the left hand to shake hands or accept a gift. This is also true of some African cultures.
• A Western woman should not initiate a handshake with a man in India. Many Indian women will shake hands with a foreign woman, but not a foreign man.
• To many Indians, it is considered rather offensive to (even accidentally) step on someone’s foot. Apologies should be made immediately.