What Makes Touch Comfortable? An Examination of Touch Giving and Receiving in Two Cultures
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
This study examined how touch role and culture shape affective touch experiences. Germans (N = 130) and Chinese (N = 130) were surveyed once as toucher and once as touchee. For different touch actions, they (a) provided free-text descriptions of what prompts touch, (b) indicated with whom touch feels comfortable, and (c) highlighted areas of touch comfort on a body outline. Overall, touch was prompted by affectionate feelings, was more comfortable with more closely bonded individuals, and when directed at the upper arms, shoulders, and upper back. Touch role mattered for the experiences prompting touch in that touchees felt less positive than touchers. Culture differentiated touch comfort topographies. Compared with Chinese, Germans felt more comfortable with more intimate touch to the torso and upper back and less comfortable with more public touch to the hands. Notably, however, examining touch role and culture revealed more overlap than divergence, ensuring mutual comfort as individuals physically connect.
Details
Original language | English |
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Article number | 1461672221105966 |
Pages (from-to) | 1392-1407 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Personality & social psychology bulletin |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 9 |
Early online date | 29 Jun 2022 |
Publication status | Published - Sept 2023 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
Externally published | Yes |
External IDs
Scopus | 85133370753 |
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unpaywall | 10.1177/01461672221105966 |
Mendeley | 0e23a0f1-7a3b-3bd6-b619-7a6882e080f6 |
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- C-tactile, affect, culture, social touch