Article
Behavioral Sciences
India Morrison
Summary: The role of CT afferents in affective touch is not necessarily distinct from discriminative touch in all levels of the nervous system. By considering the phylogenetic history of specialized afferent systems, discrepancies in evidence can be addressed. This perspective leads to the proposal of four body-behavior reference frames for understanding somatosensory-behavior relationships in the behaving human, showing that affective and discriminative functions can be dissociated without existing as discrete categories.
CURRENT OPINION IN BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pedro J. Rosa, Arlindo Madeira, Jorge Oliveira, Teresa Palrao
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the influence of images of haute cuisine dishes and traditional dishes on consumers' affective and emotional responses, as well as the moderating role of age. The results showed that food images (both haute cuisine and traditional dishes) elicited higher feelings of pleasure and arousal compared to non-food images. However, there was no significant difference in self-report affect, physiological, and behavioral responses between haute cuisine and traditional dishes. Interestingly, younger participants had greater feelings of pleasure and shorter eye-to-screen distance towards traditional food than haute cuisine.
Article
Neurosciences
Laura Crucianelli, Marie Chancel, H. Henrik Ehrsson
Summary: The relationship between tactile pleasantness and velocity follows a consistent pattern at individual level across different skin types and testing sessions. However, individual differences in interoceptive abilities and self-reported depression play a role.
JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Victoria C. Tinker, Paula D. Trotter, Charlotte Krahe
Summary: Depression is associated with decreased pleasure in activities and withdrawal from social interactions. This study examined the relationship between depression severity, perceived pleasantness of observed social touch, and longing for touch. The results showed that greater depression severity is related to lower perceived pleasantness of touch, especially for non-optimal touch velocities. Touch longing is not associated with depression severity, but rather with reduced levels of current intimate touch.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Valentina Cazzato, Sofia Sacchetti, Shelby Shin, Adarsh Makdani, Paula D. Trotter, Francis McGlone
Summary: This study investigated differences in tactile pleasantness and intensity across body sites, as well as associations between individual dysmorphic appearance concerns and body and emotional awareness. Lower levels of emotional awareness and higher levels of dysmorphic concerns were found to be associated with lower preference for non-CT optimal stroking touch, indicating potential implications for future research and interventions.
Article
Neurosciences
Ambika Maria, Pauliina Hirvi, Kalle Kotilahti, Juha Heiskala, Jetro J. Tuulari, Linnea Karlsson, Hasse Karlsson, Ilkka Nissila
Summary: Touch is crucial for the socio-emotional development of children. This study used DOT to investigate how two-year-old children process affective and non-affective touch. The findings suggest that children exhibit adult-like patterns of haemodynamic responses to touch.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Emily R. Thomas, Daniel Yon, Floris P. de Lange, Clare Press
Summary: This study found that expected tactile touch during actions can enhance perception intensity, rather than attenuate it. The results challenge a central tenet of prominent motor control theories and demonstrate that sensorimotor predictions do not have a qualitatively distinct influence on tactile perception.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Larissa L. Meijer, B. Hasenack, J. C. C. Kamps, A. Mahon, G. Titone, H. C. Dijkerman, A. Keizer
Summary: Interpersonal touch and affective touch are crucial for social interactions and have a positive impact on mental health. The social distancing regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic have reduced the ability to engage in interpersonal touch, leading to increased longing for touch and a potential alteration in the perception of affective touch.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Larissa L. Meijer, Zoe A. Schielen, Kim Y. van Ree, H. Chris Dijkerman
Summary: The study found that affective touch has a relieving effect on electrically induced itch, with the alleviation starting after 2 minutes of stroking and continuing to increase up to 6 minutes.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Uta Sailer, Siri Leknes
Summary: The pleasantness of gentle stroking varies greatly between individuals and studies, indicating that there may be other relevant factors to consider. The affective value of a touch event is determined by how well its perceived purpose matches the goals of the touch receiver, which is influenced by sensory characteristics, setting, person factors, and the touchee's expectations.
CURRENT OPINION IN BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alessandro Mazza, Monia Cariola, Francesca Capiotto, Matteo Diano, Selene Schintu, Lorenzo Pia, Olga Dal Monte
Summary: Research shows that cuddling a loved one not only feels pleasant but also reduces autonomic responses and anxiety levels, especially when accompanied by mutual eye contact. The hedonic and autonomic aspects of affective touch are more pronounced in females. These findings suggest that affective touch plays an instrumental role in promoting and reinforcing emotional bonding between romantic partners.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Gianluca Cruciani, Pietro Zingaretti, Vittorio Lingiardi, Sergio De Filippis, Patrick Haggard, Grazia Fernanda Spitoni
Summary: This study found deficits in pain perception and tactile sensitivity in individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), but no differences in tactile acuity, cold pain thresholds, cold tolerance, or affective touch perception.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Experimental
Valentina Silvestri, Michelle Giraud, Viola Macchi Cassia, Elena Nava
Summary: Affective touch (AT) plays a significant role in building and maintaining social connections and mitigating the effects of social conflict and ostracism in mammals. Studies have shown that AT promotes bonding and emotional regulation during early development and preserves physical and emotional well-being in adulthood. This study found that AT can buffer adults' negative emotions and reduce the arousal and perceived unpleasantness of emotionally arousing stimuli. Moreover, individual differences, such as sensory processing sensitivity, can influence the perception of AT.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Sofia Tagini, Massimo Scacchi, Alessandro Mauro, Federica Scarpina
Summary: This study provided the first evidence about the experience of affective touch in obesity. The results showed no differences in the pleasantness of affective touch between women with obesity and women with healthy weight. However, women with obesity reported less frequent and less satisfying early experiences of affective touch.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Connor J. Haggarty, Paula D. Trotter, Francis McGlone, Susannah C. Walker
Summary: The study suggests that children's vicarious ratings of affective touch differ from those of adults, as adults' ratings may also include cognitive evaluation of the broader social context.
