On the other hand, women welcomed touches from friends more than men did.
Advertisement
The study, which is the biggest ever conducted into physical contact, shows that both men and women were uncomfortable with people touching their face – suggesting that the European greeting of kissing someone on both cheeks may be falling from grace. The respondents were from five different countries, and had to colour in areas of the body that they would allow various people to touch. The answers were combined to create maps that show how touchable areas of the body are for particular relationships (eg partner, uncle, acquaintance) and also which areas are taboo.
Researchers at Oxford University and Finland’s Aalto University have attempted to navigate the social minefield for you, and it seems that a handshake really is the safest option when meeting a stranger if you want to be sure of avoiding all awkwardness (as long as you’re prepared to accept a cheek kiss if they do go for one).
If you feared you were irrationally uncomfortable about being touched by strangers, don’t worry – you’re in good company.
The results, compiled into a “body map index” and published on Monday by PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in America), found men were far more comfortable with physical contact than women, with the single exception of contact with male friends.
The participants, from Finland, France, Italy, Russia, and the United Kingdom, detailed where strangers, family members, friends, and romantic partners were allowed to touch them.
Somewhat more surprisingly, the study found that women are more happy to be touched, and by a wider range of people, than men, while Russians are more comfortable with being touched than Italians (although no one was quite as happy to be touched as the Finns).
“The touch space map is closely associated with the pleasure caused by touching”.
The researchers concluded the bodily area others are allowed to touch thus represent the strength of the relationship-specific emotional bond.
“We interpret touch depending on the context of the relationship”, Oxford researcher Robin Dunbar also told The Daily Telegraph.
Advertisement
In the era of social media dominance, knowing where to physically connect with another person via touch is worth clarifying. While culture does modulate how we experience it, generally we all respond to touching in the same ways.
