Stroking and Leaning: The Give and Take of Social Touch Between Humans and Their Pets

Abstract

ABSTRACT Affectionate interpersonal touch serves important social and affective functions. In this study, we asked whether the same holds for the physical contact between pet owners and their pets. An international sample of pet owners (n = 443) rated the typicality of different human and pet touch behaviors. They then provided body contact maps for typical behaviors and reported the duration of behaviors, probability across different situations, and associated affect. Human–pet touch was characterized by a range of tactile behaviors, especially stroking by owners and leaning by pets. Touching took substantial time (∼42 min/day) and occurred most often when owners were resting, after separation, and during joint activities with the pet. Some forms of touch entailed physically intimate contact and were followed by positive affect. Although the touch behaviors showed some differences, overall, owner touching and pet touching were similar and reciprocal. Together, our data identify parallels between interpersonal and human–pet touch and establish human–pet interactions as an important source of affectionate touch experiences.