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Sorokowska A, Kowal M, Saluja S, Aavik T, Alm C, Anjum A, Asao K, Batres C, Bensafia A, Bizumic B, Boussena M, Buss DM, Butovskaya M, Can S, Carrier A, Cetinkaya H, Conroy-Beam D, Cueto RM, Czub M, Dural S, Espinosa A, Esteves CS, Frackowiak T, Contreras-Garduño J, Guemaz F, Hromatko I, Iskra H, Jiang F, Kafetsios K, Kavcic T, Kervyn N, Köbis NC, Kostić A, Láng A, Lindholm T, Manesi Z, Meskó N, Misra G, Monaghan C, Natividade JC, Nizharadze G, Oberzaucher E, Oleszkiewicz A, Pagani AF, Pakalniskiene V, Parise M, Pejičić M, Pisanski A, Pisanski K, Popa C, Prokop P, Sargautyte R, Sharad S, Simonetti F, Sorokowski P, Stefanczyk MM, Szagdaj A, Tadinac M, González KU, Uhryn O, Vauclair CM, Yoo G, Zupančič M, Croy I. Love and affectionate touch toward romantic partners all over the world. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5497. [PMID: 37015974 PMCID: PMC10073073 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31502-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Touch is the primary way people communicate intimacy in romantic relationships, and affectionate touch behaviors such as stroking, hugging and kissing are universally observed in partnerships all over the world. Here, we explored the association of love and affectionate touch behaviors in romantic partnerships in two studies comprising 7880 participants. In the first study, we used a cross-cultural survey conducted in 37 countries to test whether love was universally associated with affectionate touch behaviors. In the second study, using a more fine-tuned touch behavior scale, we tested whether the frequency of affectionate touch behaviors was related to love in romantic partnerships. As hypothesized, love was significantly and positively associated with affectionate touch behaviors in both studies and this result was replicated regardless of the inclusion of potentially relevant factors as controls. Altogether, our data strongly suggest that affectionate touch is a relatively stable characteristic of human romantic relationships that is robustly and reliably related to the degree of reported love between partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Sorokowska
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Ul. Dawida 1, 50-527, Wroclaw, Poland.
| | - Marta Kowal
- IDN Being Human Lab, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
| | | | | | | | | | - Kelly Asao
- Westminster College, Salt Lake City, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Seda Can
- Izmir University of Economics, Izmir, Turkey
| | | | | | | | | | - Marcin Czub
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Ul. Dawida 1, 50-527, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Seda Dural
- Izmir University of Economics, Izmir, Turkey
| | | | | | - Tomasz Frackowiak
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Ul. Dawida 1, 50-527, Wroclaw, Poland
| | | | | | | | - Herak Iskra
- Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | | | | | - Tina Kavcic
- University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nicolas Kervyn
- Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Nils C Köbis
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Zoi Manesi
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Anna Oleszkiewicz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Ul. Dawida 1, 50-527, Wroclaw, Poland
- Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Kasia Pisanski
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Ul. Dawida 1, 50-527, Wroclaw, Poland
- CNRS, University of Lyon 2, Lyon, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Piotr Sorokowski
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Ul. Dawida 1, 50-527, Wroclaw, Poland
| | | | - Anna Szagdaj
- Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
| | | | | | - Olga Uhryn
- Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, Lviv, Costa Rica
| | | | | | | | - Ilona Croy
- Institute of Psychology, University of Jena, Jena, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health, Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, Germany
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Smith JCS, Vogel DL, Madon S, Edwards SR. The Power of Touch: Nonverbal Communication Within Married Dyads. COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST 2011. [DOI: 10.1177/0011000010385849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Researchers have suggested that one function of touch in mixed-sex interactions is to exert influence over another person. Yet theories offer different explanations as to when women and men will use touch as an influence strategy. The gender politics hypothesis proposes that men touch more as a way to maintain inequalities present in society. In turn, the dyadic power theory proposes that both women and men will touch more depending on their goals in a given situation. The person initiating a topic of disagreement is more likely to touch in order to try and influence the other person to agree with his or her position. However, researchers have rarely examined the different assertions of these theories within intimate relationships. The present study, with 67 married heterosexual couples, was designed to provide an initial test of these theories. The authors focused on four types of touch across two problem-solving topics: one chosen by each spouse. Consistent with the dyadic power theory, results indicated that when couples discussed topics chosen by wives, wives exhibited more touches. However, no differences in these forms of touch emerged when couples discussed topics chosen by husbands. Implications for marital counseling and research are discussed.
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Hertenstein MJ, Verkamp JM, Kerestes AM, Holmes RM. The communicative functions of touch in humans, nonhuman primates, and rats: a review and synthesis of the empirical research. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 132:5-94. [PMID: 17345871 DOI: 10.3200/mono.132.1.5-94] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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.
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