Contact cultures are cultural groups in which people tend to stand close together and tough frequently when they interact. Noncontact cultures are cultural groups in which people tend to maintain more space and touch less often. (Martin and Nakayama 2009) I learned about this very quickly when living overseas. In Holland when you great someone you give 3 kisses on the cheek. In France you give 2 kisses. This was strange for me coming from America. It took some time to get use to but I learned to adapt. The hardest thing was going from living in Holland for 3 years and then going to France. I would attempt to give 3 kisses on the cheek in France because that became a habit for me in Holland.
I feel that it is a nice custom but I could never see it happening in the United States. People enjoy their personal space too much and would probably be too concerned about germs and kissing someone other than a loved one.
The etiquette of social kissing in Europe.
Works Cited:
Marin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2009). Intercultural Communication In Contexts. (5th, Ed.) New York: McGraw Hill Companies.
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