Motivation and emotion/Book/2024/Affective touch and emotion

Affective touch and emotion:
What are the emotional responses to affective touch?

Overview

Case study - In a healthcare setting

Figure 1. Nurse looking after girl.

Melissa is a very active teenager in her mid-teens that partakes in a variety of sports and activities such as soccer, netball and hiking. She is admitted to the hospital for a major knee surgery after suffering a big fall whilst playing soccer. Although the hospital has a high standard of medical care, Melissa can’t help but feel anxious and nervous about the upcoming surgery, which is affecting her overall wellbeing and may affect her recovery. Before Melissa’s surgery, a nurse gently held her hand and provided words of reassurance and comfort to help with her anxiety. The nurse also listened to Melissa’s concerns about the surgery and how she can’t be as active afterwards. After the surgery nurses would routinely come in and check in with Melissa and see how she was doing. They would often sit with her and engage with comforting hand pats whilst they listened to her.

How did the nurses effectively engage in communication conveyed through touch and emotion to enhance Melissa’s wellbeing during her stay at the hospital?

Communication through touch and emotions involves non-verbal methods of conveying messages and feelings. Touch is a powerful social tool that is used to engage many different areas of the human body, it plays an important role in human development (McIntyre et al., 2019). This type of nonverbal communication is important in many various situations and contexts such as interpersonal relationships in a professional setting and private relationships. By understanding how communication is expressed through touch and emotion you can use various methods to enhance interactions and improve interpersonal relationships.

Focus questions:

What are the different types of affective touch, and how do they each convey specific emotions?
How does touch serve as a non-verbal form of communication in expressing emotions like love, comfort, sympathy, or anger?
How does touch facilitate emotional bonding and attachment in close relationships, i.e. between partners, parents, and children?

Affective Touch & Emotion

Family engaging in Affective Touch

Affective Touch & Emotion typically refers to the type of touch that can evoke emotional responses and fosters deeper social and emotional connections. Affective touch tends to be slow, gentle and it typically occurs within close relationships like between family members, friends, and or romantic partners. Affective touch can be seen as a form of emotional communication which helps individuals express feelings such as affection, comfort, and empathy without words. According to Silvestri et al. (2023) affective touch has been addressed for its role in promoting bonding and emotional regulation during early childhood development. However, in more recent studies it has been suggested that affective touch also preserves physical and emotional well-being in adulthood (Silvestri et al., 2023).

Affective touch activates specific nerve fibres in the skin known as C-tactile (CT) afferents (Walker et al., 2022), which are particularly sensitive to gentle, stroking motions. CT afferents respond optimally to gentle stroking in the range of 1–10 cm/s (Sailer & Ackerley, 2019). When these nerve fibres are stimulated, they send signals to the brain regions associated with emotional processing. The activation of the brain and the C-tactile afferents help create feelings of warmth, relaxation, and emotional connection (Sailer & Ackerley, 2019).

Communication through touch

Touch is an effective medium for conveying emotion, such as expressing gratitude to a friend or comforting a grieving relative (Hauser et al., 2019). It is an incredibly powerful action that conveys a wide range of emotions. Touch often fosters a sense of understanding between individuals and compassion. It often bridges the gap when words may sometimes fail to convey a feeling or when deeper emotional expression is needed.

Social bonding

Touch plays a fundamental role in social bonding by helping to establish trust, build relationships, and reinforce emotional connections between individuals. It is a non-verbal form of communication that can convey affection, support, warmth, and empathy. Touch releases oxytocin, often referred to as the "love hormone," which fosters feelings of closeness and attachment. As stated by Suvilehto, Juulia T (2018) touching is one of the most intimate types of social interaction. It plays a crucial role in social bonding within a variety of social groups, touch helps establish trust and help build relationships.

Touch can also be a way to reinforce emotional connections between individuals. Touch also releases a hormone called oxytocin. As stated by Modak et al. (2023) this hormone has often been referred to as the "love hormone" or "bonding hormone". This is because of how oxytocin is involved with social and emotional behaviours (Modak et al., 2023). Engaging in physical touch for example such as a handshake, hug, or even a pat on the shoulder can reduce stress; it can also enhance feelings of safety and help people engage in deeper personal connections. According to Modak et al. (2023), “oxytocin is released during positive social interactions,” such as the interactions stated previously, “oxytocin plays a role in creating feelings of attachment, trust, and emotional closeness” (Modak et al., 2023). This can be applied to a variety of relations such as romantic relationships, parental bonds, and friendships. Touch can help solidify these emotional ties and bonds.

Quiz

Cultural Differences in Social Bonding Through Touch

As stated by Dibiase and Gunnoe (2004) “touch is a universal aspect of human interaction”. All people touch and are touched by others, but there are vast differences in the amount of touching that people do and what is considered socially acceptable according to each culture and society. For example, touching appears to vary by gender, culture, and even age (Dibiase & Gunnoe, 2004). In some cultures, touch is more freely used to express emotions and is used to help build social bonds, whilst in other cultures touch is more reserved and may even be considered inappropriate in public.

For example:

Latin American and Mediterranean cultures are often considered high-contact cultures where hugs, kisses, and even touching during conversations are common ways to bond and connect with each other.
Whilst in East Asian cultures, such as Japan and China are more low-contact cultures with people often showing respect through physical distance and minimal touch.
Middle Eastern cultures may have guidelines about who can touch whom and with gender playing a significant role in determining what is socially acceptable.
In Western cultures, like the United States or Australia touch is typically moderate. Where hugs or handshakes tend to be socially acceptable in casual and or professional settings but more intimate forms of touch such as holding hands or kissing, are reserved for close relationships.

What is considered socially acceptable touch is determined by a unique set of factors that typically including:

Gender: In some cultures they have rules about touch between people of different genders.
Age: Touching may be more accepted between adults and children, but less so between peers of differing ages.
Context: Casual touch like a handshake tends to be acceptable in a professional setting whilst more intimate touch, like hugs may be seen as inappropriate behaviour in such settings.

Health & Wellbeing

Touch is crucial for both emotional and physical health; it contributes to the overall well-being of people. There have been several studies that have documented positive physiological and biochemical effects of touching including decreases in blood pressure and heart rate as well as decreased cortisol levels and increased oxytocin levels (Field, 2010).

Communication through emotions

A communication style is the way people communicate with others, verbally and nonverbally. It combines both language and nonverbal cues and is the meta-message that dictates how listeners receive and interpret verbal messages (Liu, 2016). For example someone might deliver the same verbal message, "I'm fine", in two entirely different ways. The first way with a smile and an upbeat tone, or the second way with a monotone voice and crossed arms. While the words remain constant and unchanging, the meta-message that have been communicated through the nonverbal cues i.e. the facial expressions, tone of voice, body posture, can shift and alter the interpretation of the statement from sincerity to sarcasm. Ultimately, the most effective way to communicate also involves not just the passing on information but also an awareness of how the communication style is being conveyed and how it influences the overall reception the message. When individuals are able to understand these types of subtleties it can help them build stronger and clearer relationships both within their personal and professional lives.

Non-verbal communication

https://www.santanderopenacademy.com/en/blog/verbal-and-nonverbal-communication.html

The study of emotional communication has focused predominantly on the facial and vocal channels but has ignored the tactile channel (Hertenstein et al., 2009). Non-verbal communication plays a significant role in how people express emotions without using words. People heavily rely on body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice to convey their feelings and to understand other people’s feelings. This type of communication often occurs subconsciously and yet it can be very powerful in understanding other people's emotions.

Facial expressions play an important role in recognition of emotions and are used in the process of non-verbal communication, as well as to identify people (Tarnowski et al., 2017). For example a smile can indicate a person feeling happiness and or contentment, whilst on the other hand a frown may indicate sadness or displeasure. As state by Tarnowski et al. (2017) “they are very important in daily emotional communication,” being right next to the tone of voice in a form of communication.

Verbal communication

Verbal communication involves people directly stating their emotions by either openly or through subtle hints. The difference can be further explicated through differences between communication styles that are direct and indirect (Liu, 2016). There are a few ways people communicate their emotions verbally. This often involves someone explicitly naming their emotions, for example someone saying that, “I’m upset,” or saying that their, “So excited,” or that they say “I feel anxious.” Direct communication is often considered the clearest way to share emotions, leaving little room for misinterpretation.

Why is understanding communication though touch and emotions important?

Figure 2. Example of a couple engaging in a hug, affective communication of feelings such as happiness, excitement etc.

Understanding communication through touch and emotions is essential for building stronger personal relationships. It is also essential for improving communication skills, and supporting social development in children.

Communication through touch, such as a hug or a gentle pat, can convey an array of emotion's and feelings such as comfort, empathy, happiness and trust. It can also strengthen social bonds and between family and friends.

Recognizing nonverbal cues and emotional signals enhances interpersonal interactions, helping people respond more effectively to others' needs. For children, touch and emotional awareness are vital for learning social skills, developing secure attachments, and fostering emotional intelligence, all of which are crucial for healthy growth.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding communication through touch and emotions is essential for fostering stronger connections in personal, social, and professional settings. Touch, as a non-verbal form of communication, plays a crucial role in expressing empathy, support, and affection, which can strengthen relationships and enhance emotional bonds. It also aids in building trust and improving communication skills, allowing individuals to respond more effectively to others' needs. Ultimately by recognizing the power of touch and emotional communication can lead to a healthier and more meaningful interactions and relationships across all aspects of life.

In relation to the case study at the beginning of the page, the nurses’ use of touch and emotional communication played a significant role in enhancing Melissa’s well-being during her hospital stay. This was done by the nurses holding her hand and offering comforting gestures. By doing this the nurses helped reduce Melissa's anxiety and provided her emotional support, this most likely contributed to her overall recovery. In this case study it highlights how touch can serve as a powerful non-verbal agent for being able to express care, empathy, and reassurance, these types of skills are useful particularly in healthcare settings. By being able to understand and effectively using communicate through touch and emotions people can foster emotional connections and in turn hopefully improve patient outcomes. This should also help create a more supportive environment which is essential for healing and well-being.

References

Crucianelli, L., & Filippetti, M. L. (2018). Developmental Perspectives on Interpersonal Affective Touch. Topoi, 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-018-9565-1

Dibiase, R., & Gunnoe, J. (2004). Gender and Culture Differences in Touching Behavior. The Journal of Social Psychology, 144(1), 49–62. https://doi.org/10.3200/socp.144.1.49-62

Fairhurst, M. T., McGlone, F., & Croy, I. (2022). Affective touch: a communication channel for social exchange. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 43, 54–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.07.007

Field, T. (2010). Touch for socioemotional and physical well-being: A review. Developmental Review, 30(4), 367–383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2011.01.001

Hauser, S. C., McIntyre, S., Israr, A., Håkan Olausson, & Gerling, G. J. (2019). Uncovering Human-to-Human Physical Interactions that Underlie Emotional and Affective Touch Communication. IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/whc.2019.8816169

Hertenstein, M. J., Holmes, R., McCullough, M., & Keltner, D. (2009). The communication of emotion via touch. Emotion, 9(4), 566–573. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016108

Liu, M. (2016). Verbal Communication Styles and Culture. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.162

McIntyre, S., Moungou, A., Boehme, R., Isager, P. M., Lau, F., Israr, A., Lumpkin, E. A., Abnousi, F., & Olausson, H. (2019, July 1). Affective touch communication in close adult relationships. IEEE Xplore. https://doi.org/10.1109/WHC.2019.8816093

Modak, A., Ronghe, V., & Gomase, K. P. (2023). The Psychological Benefits of Breastfeeding: Fostering Maternal Well-Being and Child Development. Cureus, 15(10). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.46730

Sailer, U., & Ackerley, R. (2019). Exposure shapes the perception of affective touch. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 35, 109–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2017.07.008

Silvestri, V., Giraud, M., Viola Macchi Cassia, & Nava, E. (2023). Touch me or touch me not: Emotion regulation by affective touch in human adults. Emotion. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001320

Suvilehto, Juulia T. (2018). Maintaining social bonds via touching: A cross-cultural study. In Aalto.fi. Aalto University. https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/items/a2370e26-d552-45be-8368-363410b33d20

Tarnowski, P., Kołodziej, M., Majkowski, A., & Rak, R. J. (2017). Emotion recognition using facial expressions. Procedia Computer Science, 108, 1175–1184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2017.05.025

Walker, S. C., Marshall, A., & Pawling, R. (2022). Psychophysiology and motivated emotion: testing the affective touch hypothesis of C-tactile afferent function. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 43, 131–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.10.004

Verbal and non-verbal communication in female leadership. (n.d.). Www.santanderopenacademy.com. https://www.santanderopenacademy.com/en/blog/verbal-and-nonverbal-communication.html

External links

Haptic communication (Wikipedia)
Non Verbal Communication Through Touch (UC Davis)

	It increases stress levels
	It fosters feelings of attachment and emotional closeness
	It has no impact on relationships
	It decreases trust between individuals