Touch Communicates Distinct Emotions

I have been spending a great deal of time thinking about touch and how it can and does have a bearing on our emotions. My thoughts are more philosophy orientated than scientific- and then the two were merged- when I saw this journal article.

Abstract
The study of emotional signaling has focused almost exclusively on the face and voice. In 2 studies, the authors investigated whether people can identify emotions from the experience of being touched by a stranger on the arm (without seeing the touch). In the 3rd study, they investigated whether observers can identify emotions from watching someone being touched on the arm. Two kinds of evidence suggest that humans can communicate numerous emotions with touch. First, participants in the United States (Study 1) and Spain (Study 2) could decode anger, fear, disgust, love, gratitude, and sympathy via touch at much-better-than-chance levels. Second, fine-grained coding documented specific touch behaviors associated with different emotions. In Study 3, the authors provide evidence that participants can accurately decode distinct emotions by merely watching others communicate via touch. The findings are discussed in terms of their contributions to affective science and the evolution of altruism and cooperation.

To read more please visit the Touch and Emotion Lab.

The specific types of touch that were coded included squeezing, stroking, rubbing, pushing, pulling, pressing, patting, tapping, shaking, pinching, trembling, poking, hitting, scratching, massaging, tickling, slapping, lifting, picking, finger interlocking, swinging, and tossing.

The emotions were anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise, sympathy,
embarrassment, love, envy, pride, and gratitude.

Humans can communicate several distinct emotions through touch, and they did so with distinct methods. Important when evaluation the interactions of others.◦

Touch Communicates Distinct Emotions