Choice enhances touch pleasantness

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

We value what we choose more than what is imposed upon us. Choice-induced preferences are extensively demonstrated using behavioural and neural methods, mainly involving rewarding objects such as money or material goods. However, the impact of choice on experiences, especially in the realm of affective touch, remains less explored. In this study, we specifically investigate whether choice can enhance the pleasure derived from affective touch, thereby increasing its intrinsic rewarding value. We conducted an experiment in which participants were being touched by an experimenter and asked to rate how pleasant their experience of touch was. They were given either a choice or no choice over certain touch stimulus variables which differed in their relevance: some were of low relevance (relating to the colour of the glove that the experimenter would use to touch them), while others were of high relevance (relating to the location on their arm where they would be stroked). Before and during touching, pupillometry was used to measure the level of arousal. We found that having a choice over aspects of tactile stimuli—especially those relevant to oneself—enhanced the pleasant perception of the touch. In addition, having a choice increases arousal in anticipation of touch. Regardless of how relevant it is to the actual tactile stimulus, allowing one to choose may positively enhance a person’s perception of the physical contact they receive.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1709-1723
Number of pages15
JournalAttention, Perception, and Psychophysics
Volume86
Issue number5
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Mendeley 249655bc-7365-3d46-a2da-c922c95f59e5
ORCID /0000-0001-6540-5891/work/162347846
PubMed 38858303

Keywords

Keywords

  • Affective touch, Choice, Control, Eye movement, Reward