Playing air guitar, giving thumbs up and signing an imaginary check for the bill: Generation Z reveals which hand gestures they find least cool
- 38 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 consider the air guitar to be reprehensible
- Three in 10 Gen Z also think the double thumbs up is uncool
- But 87 per cent of young Britons believe secretly crossing their fingers to tell a lie is acceptable
Gen Z has revealed which hand gestures are in danger of being lost forever because they’re “uncool” and “old-fashioned.”
A poll found that 38 percent of young adults ages 18 to 29 believe playing an imaginary guitar is the least cool hand gesture a person can make — they claim it’s reprehensible and old-fashioned.
The double thumbs-up came a close second, with three in 10 Gen Zs believing the gesture to be deeply unseemly.
Also on the list of hand gestures that indicate age was the act of pretending to write a check in the air to indicate you want a bill at a restaurant, leading 29 per cent of young Britons to do so to scratch your head.
The double thumbs up comes a close second, with three in ten Gen Zs believing the gesture is deeply uncool
Pretending to write a check in the air to indicate you want a bill at a restaurant leaves 29 per cent of young Britons scratching their heads
38 percent of young adults aged 18 to 29 find playing an imaginary guitar the least cool
While 28 percent of Gen Zs surveyed said it’s unfashionable to sip a cup of tea with your pinky sticking out to try to be “gently.”
Gestures like pumping your fist and raising your finger to your lips to get people to shush were seen as outdated by 19 per cent of young Britons.
For 19 percent of Gen Z, raising your thumb as a sign of approval and approval is also taboo, as is a double “A-OK” sign with both hands (20 percent of teens find this spasmodic).
Claudia Crosse of insights agency Perspectus Global, which commissioned the survey, said: “It’s fascinating to see which hand gestures fall by the wayside and which make you look uncool when you use them in front of younger Brits.
“However, hand gestures are constantly evolving, so it’s not inconceivable that playing air guitar or showing a double thumb could one day come back into fashion.”
Raising your finger to your lips to get people to shush was considered outdated by 19 percent of young Britons
A whopping 28 percent of Gen Zs surveyed said it’s unfashionable to sip a cup of tea with your pinky sticking out to try to be “gently”.
19 percent of young Britons considered gestures such as pumping their fists outdated
The study also found that almost half (48%) of Britons believe hand gestures are just as important as spoken words.
And a whopping 90 percent said hand gestures are constantly evolving, meaning gestures that were once common can make you lose the impression you’re in touch.
When it comes to traditional hand gestures that Gen Zs still use, 87 percent think it’s acceptable to covertly cross your fingers to tell a lie.
And 85 percent sometimes use the “Call Me” hand signal — thumb to ear and pinky to mouth.
These are the five “old people” office habits that Gen Z are breaking — including using the phone.
This is a guide to the Gen Z slang young workers use in the office, leaving older workers baffled at the meaning.
Top 10 least cool hand gestures according to Generation Z
1. Air Guitar Gesture 38%
2. Double Thumbs Up 30%
3. Pretend to write in the air to indicate you want the bill 29%
4. Hold up pinky finger while drinking tea 28%
5. Double A-Ok sign 21%
6. Salute 21%
7. Hitting the palm with a fist 20%
8. Fist pump 19%
9. Raised finger (to get people to stop talking) 19%
10. Thumbs up 19%