The Communicative Functions of Touch in Humans, Nonhuman Primates, and Rats: A Review and Synthesis of the Empirical Research

Abstract

Although touch is one of the most neglected modalities of communication, several lines of research bear on the important communicative functions served by the modality. The authors highlighted the importance of touch by reviewing and synthesizing the literatures pertaining to the communicative functions served by touch among humans, nonhuman primates, and rats. In humans, the authors focused on the role that touch plays in emotional communication, attachment, bonding, compliance, power, intimacy, hedonics, and liking. In nonhuman primates, the authors examined the relations among touch and status, stress, reconciliation, sexual relations, and attachment. In rats, the authors focused on the role that touch plays in emotion, learning and memory, novelty seeking, stress, and attachment. The authors also highlighted the potential phylogenetic and ontogenetic continuities and discussed suggestions for future research.

Topography of social touching depends on emotional bonds between humans

“…It is possible that social touch could help maintain the multitude of emotional bonds humans have in all areas of life, ranging from intimate romantic bonds to kinship and friendships. Postnatal skin-to-skin contact indeed promotes mother-infant bonding, and the quantity and quality of social touch are positively associated with relationship satisfaction in adult romantic couples (7). Touching also facilitates confiding via speech (8), and even a brief touch can lead to more positive evaluations of the toucher (9, 10), increased compliance (11), and prosocial behavior, such as more generous tipping in restaurants (12).…”

The role of empathy in the neural responses to observed human social touch

“…One of the ways in which individuals convey feelings and thoughts to one another is through touching (Hertenstein, Holmes, McCullough, & Keltner, 2009;Hertenstein, Verkamp, Kerestes, & Holmes, 2006). Therefore, understanding and employing gestures of touch make a profound contribution to creating and maintaining social relationships (Thayer, 1986).…”

Nonverbal post-shot celebrations and their relationship with performance in elite handball

“…Such a design enables the gathering of rich data of the phenomenon in question within a realworld setting with high ecological validity (Hertenstein et al, 2006;Stangor, 2007). The target behaviour was videotaped from the public area, thus adopting a nonparticipant observer perspective, which is unobtrusive and minimizes reactivity in the observed person (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007;Miltenberger & Weil, 2013;Stangor, 2007).…”

“…Of importance from a team perspective is the assumption that touch can function as positive reinforcement, foster intimacy, encourage compliance, communicate liking, and is vital to trust, cooperation, and group functioning (Hertenstein et al, 2006;Kraus et al, 2010). As touch inherently includes others, it implies a greater social value compared to gestures.…”

“…Touch has been connected with the expression of positive emotions (Hertenstein, Holmes, McCullough, & Keltner, 2009;Hertenstein, Verkamp, Kerestes, & Holmes, 2006).…”