Most people have a bubble or a personal space that they do not like violated. I would definately include myself in this category. I was really hoping to make a video of my encounters, but like a typical college student my roomates and I never could find the time to get together and do it, so I did it on my own with out a camera.
Typically when you meet a person you shake hands. Jerry Seinfeld explains this social norm perfectly so take a look at the video.
So with these handshake norms, I put some to the test to see how I felt and how the others reacted. I experimented with people who I already knew and random people that I met for the first time. Typically I would introduce myself and offer to shake their hands, or just say hi and stick my hand out. I would try my best not to let them go until our conversation was done. At first it was hard trying to act completely confortable and come up with things to ask them while trying to note my behavior as well as their behavior, but it got a little easier after doing it a few times.
If there were other people around, most would look around them to see if anyone else though it a little strange that I had not let go of their hand. This is a perfect example of some of the things we have talked about in class. Oftem times people will look to those around them for information (conformity, social learning, helping and perceived emergency, etc.) It was very hard for them to focus on the conversation I was trying to have with them, and in some cases some people forcefully pulled away.
It was kind of fun to violate a social norm, but I can imagine that it wouldnt be as fun if I was the one receiving the experiment.
Social Experience Blog 