Social touch deprivation during COVID-19: effects on psychological wellbeing and craving interpersonal touch

Royal Society Open Science, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 8(9), P. 210287 - 210287

Published: Sept. 1, 2021

Social touch has positive effects on social affiliation and stress alleviation. However, its ubiquitous presence in human life does not allow the study of deprivation ‘in wild’. Nevertheless, COVID-19-related restrictions such as distancing allowed systematic degree to which affects tactile experiences mental health. In this study, 1746 participants completed an online survey examine intimate, friendly professional during restrictions, their impact health extent results craving touch. We found that intimate is associated with higher anxiety greater loneliness even though type still most experienced pandemic. Moreover, reported craved period, thus being more prominent days practising increase. our also show individuals crave period depends individual differences attachment style: anxiously attached, craved; reverse pattern for avoidantly attached. These findings point important role interpersonal particularly times distress uncertainty.

Language: Английский

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The soothing function of touch: affective touch reduces feelings of social exclusion

Scientific Reports, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 7(1)

Published: Oct. 12, 2017

The mammalian need for social proximity, attachment and belonging may have an adaptive evolutionary value in terms of survival reproductive success. Consequently, ostracism induce strong negative feelings exclusion. Recent studies suggest that slow, affective touch, which is mediated by a separate, specific C tactile neurophysiological system than faster, neutral modulates the perception physical pain. However, it remains unknown whether can also reduce exclusion, form Here, we employed exclusion paradigm, namely Cyberball task (N = 84), to examine administration touch induced manipulations task. As predicted, provision slow-affective, as compared fast-neutral, led decrease beyond general mood effects. These findings point soothing function particularly context separation or rejection, relation between bonding.

Language: Английский

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A functional neuro-anatomical model of human attachment (NAMA): Insights from first- and second-person social neuroscience

Cortex, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 126, P. 281 - 321

Published: Jan. 30, 2020

Attachment theory, developed by Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlby about seventy years ago, has become one of the most influential comprehensive contemporary psychology theories. It predicts that early social interactions with significant others shape emergence distinct self- other-representations, latter affecting how we initiate maintain relationships across lifespan. A person's attachment history will therefore associate inter-individual differences in emotional cognitive mechanisms sustaining representations, modeling, understanding on biological brain level. This review aims at summarizing currently available neuroscience data healthy participants anatomy activity lifespan, to integrate these into an extended refined functional neuro-anatomical model human (NAMA). We first propose a new prototypical initial pathway its derivatives as function security, avoidance, anxiety. Based pathways, suggest neural system composed two mentalization modules (aversion approach) (emotion regulation mental state representation) provide evidence their functionality depending attachment. subsequently expand this first-person account also considering second-person perspective comprising concepts bio-behavioral synchrony particularly inter-brain coherence. hope such NAMA can inform theory ultimately help devising prevention intervention strategies for individuals families risk attachment-related psychopathology.

Language: Английский

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Calming Effects of Touch in Human, Animal, and Robotic Interaction—Scientific State-of-the-Art and Technical Advances

Frontiers in Psychiatry, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 11

Published: Nov. 4, 2020

Small everyday gestures such as a tap on the shoulder can affect way humans feel and act. Touch have calming effect alter stress is handled, thereby promoting mental physical health. Due to current technical advances growing role of intelligent robots in households healthcare, recent research also addressed potential robotic touch for reduction. In addition, by non-human agents animals or inanimate objects may effect. This conceptual article will review selection most relevant studies reporting physiological, hormonal, neural, subjective effects stress, arousal, negative affect. Robotic systems capable non-social be assessed together with control strategies sensor technologies. Parallels differences human-to-human human-to-non-human discussed. We propose that, under appropriate conditions, act (social) signal safety, even when interaction partner an animal machine. outline directions future clinical relevance. Thereby, this provide foundation further investigations into beneficial contribution different regulate arousal humans.

Language: Английский

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Social and affective touch in primates and its role in the evolution of social cohesion

Neuroscience, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 464, P. 117 - 125

Published: Nov. 24, 2020

Primates are long-lived, highly social mammals who maintain long-term bonds and cohesive groups through many affiliative mechanisms, foremost among them touch. From birth adulthood, touch – primarily mutual grooming creates maintains relationships of trust reliance, which the basis for individual physical emotional well-being reproductive success. Because helps to establish, maintain, repair alliances in primates, it contributes stability individuals cohesion groups. In these fundamental ways, thus, supports slow life histories primates. The reinforcing neurochemistry insures that is a pleasurable activity this, turn, makes behavioral commodity can be traded between primates desirable rewards such as protection against future aggression or opportunities handle infants. Social essential normal primate development, deprived exhibit high levels anxiety lower fertility compared those receiving regular Understanding centrality health throughout lifespan provides foundation appreciating importance human life.

Language: Английский

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Social touch experience in different contexts: A review

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 131, P. 360 - 372

Published: Sept. 16, 2021

Social touch is increasingly utilized in a variety of psychological interventions, ranging from parent-child interventions to psychotherapeutic treatments. Less attention has been paid, however, findings that exposure social may not necessarily evoke positive or pleasant responses. can convey different emotions love and gratitude harassment envy, persons' preferences be touched do match with each other. This review altogether 99 original studies focuses on how contextual factors modify target person's behavioral brain responses touch. The shows experience strongly modified by toucher-related situational factors: for example, toucher's facial expressions, physical attractiveness, relationship status, group membership, distress. At the neural level, processing early perceptual reflective cognitive evaluation. Based review, we present implications using neuroscientific research designs.

Language: Английский

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The brain-body disconnect: A somatic sensory basis for trauma-related disorders

Frontiers in Neuroscience, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 16

Published: Nov. 21, 2022

Although the manifestation of trauma in body is a phenomenon well-endorsed by clinicians and traumatized individuals, neurobiological underpinnings this remain unclear. The notion somatic sensory processing, which encompasses vestibular somatosensory processing relates to systems concerned with how physical exists space, introduced as major contributor overall regulatory, social-emotional, self-referential functioning. From phylogenetically ontogenetically informed perspective, trauma-related symptomology conceptualized be grounded brainstem-level dysfunction its cascading influences on physiological arousal modulation, affect regulation, higher-order capacities. Lastly, we introduce novel hierarchical model bridging processes limbic neocortical mechanisms regulating an individual’s emotional experience sense relational, agentive self. This provides working framework for neurobiologically assessment treatment conditions from perspective.

Language: Английский

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Therapeutic Alliance as Active Inference: The Role of Therapeutic Touch and Synchrony

Frontiers in Psychology, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 13

Published: Feb. 17, 2022

Recognizing and aligning individuals' unique adaptive beliefs or "priors" through cooperative communication is critical to establishing a therapeutic relationship alliance. Using active inference, we present an empirical integrative account of the biobehavioral mechanisms that underwrite relationships. A significant mode alliances-and potential synchrony relationships-is ostensive cues generated by repetitive coupling during dynamic touch. Established models speak role affectionate touch in developing communication, interpersonal interactions, wide variety benefits for patients all ages; both neurophysiologically behaviorally. The purpose this article argue importance alliance and, ultimately, between practitioner patient. We briefly overview prosocial clinical interactions. then discuss how mental state alignment-in intentional communication-are accomplished using inference. alignment inference facilitates communication. ensuing extended include (C-) tactile afferents realizing beneficial effect synchrony. conclude proposing method synchronizing effects concept

Language: Английский

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Interoceptive technologies for psychiatric interventions: From diagnosis to clinical applications

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 156, P. 105478 - 105478

Published: Nov. 23, 2023

Language: Английский

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Designing Touch Technologies for and with Bodies in Menstrual Discomfort

Published: April 24, 2025

Language: Английский

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