More than one kind: Different sensory signatures and functions divide affectionate touch.

Abstract

The study of affectionate touch centers on gentle stroking. Yet friendly physical contact entails other actions, such as embracing, holding, kissing, leaning, petting, squeezing, or tickling. Here, we probed whether these actions are redundant or can be meaningfully differentiated by asking participants (N = 161) to complete a few tasks for each action. Coloring of body maps emphasized touching of upper body hairy and glabrous skin, contrary to the notion that only the former is relevant in affectionate touch. A linear discriminant analysis categorized colorings with 91% accuracy, showing that each touch action has a unique somatosensory topography. Automated text analysis of open-ended situational descriptions revealed touch-specific affective contexts that concerned one's own or the other's feelings and could be both positive and negative. Last, the touch actions differed in their self-reported comfort and frequency as a function of the closeness of interaction partners. Thus, rather than being redundant, affectionate touch actions are highly differentiated in terms of their somatosensory and socioaffective processes. Moreover, their differential patterns suggest that they each play a unique regulatory role for the toucher, the touchee, and their relationship. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).