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The meaning of touch: Relational and individual variables shape emotions and intentions associated with imagined social touch.

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Title: The meaning of touch: Relational and individual variables shape emotions and intentions associated with imagined social touch.
Authors: Krahé, Charlotte, Fotopoulou, Aikaterini, Hammond, Claudia, Banissy, Michael J., Koukoutsakis, Athanasios, Jenkinson, Paul M.
Source: European Journal of Social Psychology. Oct2024, Vol. 54 Issue 6, p1247-1265. 19p.
Subjects: Touch -- Psychological aspects, Fear, Research funding, Attachment behavior, Positive psychology, Anger, Emotions, Anxiety, Social skills, Intention, Individuality, Communication, Interpersonal relations, Discrimination (Sociology)
Abstract: Touch is a key channel for conveying meaning in social interactions. The affective quality of touch and its effects on well‐being are shaped by relational context (relationship between touch giver vs. recipient) and person variables (e.g. adult attachment style). Yet, such effects have not been explored in relation to the meaning ascribed to touch. We used data from the Touch Test, the world's largest touch survey, which included questions on the degree to which people felt and related specific emotions and intentions to imagined gentle stroking touch and hugs. In N = 23,428, we examined how relational context (imagined source of touch) and person variables (gender, recalled positive childhood touch and adult attachment style) were associated with positive (e.g. love, desire, support) and negative (e.g. fear, anger, warning) emotions and intentions related to imagined touch. Love, desire and support were endorsed more when participants had had their partner (vs. someone else) in mind, and women (vs. men) gave lower ratings for desire overall. Gentle stroking touch was most linked with arousal when participants had had their partner in mind. Further, more positive childhood touch and secure and anxious attachment scores were associated with more positive emotions and intentions, while the opposite was found for avoidant attachment scores. Lastly, positive childhood touch and higher anxious attachment scores were related to greater discrimination between distinct emotion and intention categories, while higher attachment avoidance was associated with reduced discriminability. Thus, contextual and person variables matter in shaping the meaning of social touch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of European Journal of Social Psychology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: The meaning of touch: Relational and individual variables shape emotions and intentions associated with imagined social touch.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Krahé%2C+Charlotte%22">Krahé, Charlotte</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fotopoulou%2C+Aikaterini%22">Fotopoulou, Aikaterini</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hammond%2C+Claudia%22">Hammond, Claudia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Banissy%2C+Michael+J%2E%22">Banissy, Michael J.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Koukoutsakis%2C+Athanasios%22">Koukoutsakis, Athanasios</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jenkinson%2C+Paul+M%2E%22">Jenkinson, Paul M.</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22European+Journal+of+Social+Psychology%22">European Journal of Social Psychology</searchLink>. Oct2024, Vol. 54 Issue 6, p1247-1265. 19p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Touch+--+Psychological+aspects%22">Touch -- Psychological aspects</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fear%22">Fear</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+funding%22">Research funding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attachment+behavior%22">Attachment behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Positive+psychology%22">Positive psychology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anger%22">Anger</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotions%22">Emotions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anxiety%22">Anxiety</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+skills%22">Social skills</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intention%22">Intention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Individuality%22">Individuality</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communication%22">Communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interpersonal+relations%22">Interpersonal relations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Discrimination+%28Sociology%29%22">Discrimination (Sociology)</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Touch is a key channel for conveying meaning in social interactions. The affective quality of touch and its effects on well‐being are shaped by relational context (relationship between touch giver vs. recipient) and person variables (e.g. adult attachment style). Yet, such effects have not been explored in relation to the meaning ascribed to touch. We used data from the Touch Test, the world's largest touch survey, which included questions on the degree to which people felt and related specific emotions and intentions to imagined gentle stroking touch and hugs. In N = 23,428, we examined how relational context (imagined source of touch) and person variables (gender, recalled positive childhood touch and adult attachment style) were associated with positive (e.g. love, desire, support) and negative (e.g. fear, anger, warning) emotions and intentions related to imagined touch. Love, desire and support were endorsed more when participants had had their partner (vs. someone else) in mind, and women (vs. men) gave lower ratings for desire overall. Gentle stroking touch was most linked with arousal when participants had had their partner in mind. Further, more positive childhood touch and secure and anxious attachment scores were associated with more positive emotions and intentions, while the opposite was found for avoidant attachment scores. Lastly, positive childhood touch and higher anxious attachment scores were related to greater discrimination between distinct emotion and intention categories, while higher attachment avoidance was associated with reduced discriminability. Thus, contextual and person variables matter in shaping the meaning of social touch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: <i>Copyright of European Journal of Social Psychology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=180109201
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        Value: 10.1002/ejsp.3076
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 19
        StartPage: 1247
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Touch -- Psychological aspects
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fear
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research funding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Attachment behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Positive psychology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Anger
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Emotions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Anxiety
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social skills
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      – SubjectFull: Intention
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      – SubjectFull: Individuality
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Communication
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interpersonal relations
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      – SubjectFull: Discrimination (Sociology)
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      – TitleFull: The meaning of touch: Relational and individual variables shape emotions and intentions associated with imagined social touch.
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            NameFull: Fotopoulou, Aikaterini
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            NameFull: Hammond, Claudia
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            NameFull: Koukoutsakis, Athanasios
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              M: 10
              Text: Oct2024
              Type: published
              Y: 2024
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