Nicholas Kobe is an editorial intern at PEOPLE. He has been working at PEOPLE since 2025. His work has previously appeared in JustNLife, WOUB Public Media and The Post. Matt Stroshane/Walt Disney ...

This post is co-authored by Ron Riggio and nonverbal communication expert Alan Crawley. When and why do we clap? We get startled, and we clap. We try to get our dog’s (or our child’s) attention, and ...

Nearly every human culture uses clapping to cheer, protest, pray or perform – but a new study reveals that the familiar gesture is as much a scientific event as it is a social one. “This is the first ...

Finger claps have quietly taken over a swath of pop culture in the past year. The gesture — repeatedly tapping the thumb to a finger on the same hand — offers a silent way to show praise, like the ...