Touch communicates distinct emotions.
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.
Hertenstein
Matthew J
MJ
Department of Psychology, DePauw University, Greencastle, IN, USA. mhertenstein@depauw.edu
Keltner
Dacher
D
App
Betsy
B
Bulleit
Brittany A
BA
Jaskolka
Ariane R
AR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D012737:Sex Factors; D014110:Touch; D014796:Visual Perception