Touching the social robot PARO reduces pain perception and salivary oxytocin levels

Nirit Geva,Florina Uzefovsky,Shelly Levy-Tzedek

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-66982-y

Nirit Geva, Florina Uzefovsky + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66982-y

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Abstract

Human-human social touch improves mood and alleviates pain. No studies have so far tested the effect of human-robot emotional touch on experimentally induced pain ratings, on mood and on oxytocin levels in healthy young adults. Here, we assessed the effect of touching the robot PARO on pain perception, on mood and on salivary oxytocin levels, in 83 young adults. We measured their perceived pain, happiness state, and salivary oxytocin. For the 63 participants in the PARO group, pain was assessed in three conditions: Baseline, Touch (touching PARO) and No-Touch (PARO present). The control group (20 participants) underwent the same measurements without ever encountering PARO. There was a decrease in pain ratings and in oxytocin levels and an increase in happiness ratings compared to baseline only in the PARO group. The Touch condition yielded a larger decrease in pain ratings compared to No-Touch. These effects correlated with the participants’ positive perceptions of the interaction with PARO. Participants with higher perceived ability to communicate with PARO experienced a greater hypoalgesic effect when touching PARO. We show that human-robot social touch is effective in reducing pain ratings, improving mood and - surprisingly - reducing salivary oxytocin levels in adults.

Highlights

Social interaction is one of the most basic survival needs of humans[1]
The level of the analgesic effect when holding a partner’s hand was associated with the toucher’s empathic tendencies[33]. These studies suggest that emotional touch may lead to decreased sensitivity to pain that may be associated with the release of oxytocin
We examined, in a group of men and women: (1) What is the effect of human-robot interaction on the (a) happiness state, (b) salivary oxytocin levels and (c) pain perception? (2) What is the effect of social robot’s touch vs. the social robot’s presence on pain perception? (3) Are there correlations between pain perception and (a) the level of salivary oxytocin; and (b) the participant’s perception of the interaction with the robot?

Summary

Introduction

Social interaction is one of the most basic survival needs of humans[1]. Both in childhood[2,3,4,5] and in older ages[6,7,8], the impact of social connections on health seems to be crucial. No controlled studies have examined the effect of human-robot social interaction on either oxytocin secretion or on experimentally induced pain ratings. The aim of the current experiment was, to examine the effect of interaction with the social robot PARO on pain perception, emotional state, and salivary oxytocin levels.

Results

Conclusion