Evaluations of Affective Stimuli Modulated by Another Person's Presence and Affiliative Touch

Author(s)

Wingenbach, Tanja S. H. ^[1] ; Ribeiro, Beatriz ^[1] ; Nakao, Caroline ^[1] ; Gruber, June ^[2] ; Boggio, Paulo S. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Prebiteriana Mackenzie, Social & Cognit Neurosci Lab, Ctr Hlth & Biol Sci, Rua Piaui 181, 10th Floor, BR-01241001 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Colorado, Dept Psychol & Neurosci, Posit Emot & Psychopathol Lab, Boulder, CO 80309 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: EMOTION; v. 21, n. 2, p. 360-375, MAR 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Affiliative touch carries affective meaning and affects the receiver. Although research demonstrates that receiving touch modulates the neural processing of emotions, its effects on evaluations of affective stimuli remain unexplored. The current research examined the effects of affiliative touch on the evaluation of affective images across 3 studies and aimed to disentangle the effect of another person's mere presence from the addition of affiliative touch. Participants thus underwent experimental conditions of social manipulation (presence, alone) and touch manipulations (receiving, self-providing, providing to experimenter) while viewing affective images (negative, neutral, and positive valence) and evaluated their valence. Study 1 included hand-squeezing (N = 39), and Study 2 included forearm-stroking (N = 40) in a within-subjects design. Study 3 included hand-squeezing (N = 109) in a between-subjects design. Across both studies, the results suggested that the receiving condition decreased the negativity of negative images, and the providing condition reduced the positivity of positive images. Furthermore, the other presence condition increased the positivity of positive images compared with the alone condition in Study 1 and to the receiving condition in Study 2. Hand-squeezing and forearm-stroking had differential effects on affective image evaluations depending on the image valence and who provided the touch. Overall, receiving touch seems to attenuate negative evaluations in negative contexts and the presence of others amplifies positive evaluations in positive situations. Discussion highlights the importance of affiliative touch within social interactions. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/19167-0 - Effect of sharing previous experiences in the allocation of resources in the ultimatum game
• Grantee: Caroline Kimie Nakao
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 14/50282-5 - Positive psychology and neuroscience: translational research to promote well-being and emotional regulation
• Grantee: Emma Otta
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Centers in Engineering Program
• FAPESP's process: 16/19277-0 - Effect of physical touch on the hands in perception about the welfare of others
• Grantee: Beatriz de Oliveira Ribeiro
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 17/00738-0 - Research Centre on Welfare and Human Behavior
• Grantee: Tanja Stefanie Helga Wingenbach
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral