TOUCH

1. Touch Norms

• Influences
  
  
  • American frontier
  • British Upper Class
  • Environment 
  • Climate --more touch in wamer climates except Asia; includes Southern parts of countries
  • Age and Development
    
    
• Riskier than glance (deniability)
• Example Greeting rituals

2. Touch Tendancies

• Same sex touch items:  15,16
• Opposite sex touch items:  17,18
• Touch measures

3. When is touch most likely?

• While persuading rather than being persuaded
• In deep rather than casual conversations
• At a party rather than work
• As greeting and saying good bye rather than in the middle
• When there is more emotion & closer relationship
  • used to provide social support (patting 3 times, stop, 3 times …)
  • good/bad kissers
• Men initiate and women receive
  • effects are weak
  • female bosses have more freedom
• Higher power/status person initiates
  • when higher power person touches it may be seen as affectionate
  • when lower power person initiates touch it tends to be formal (e.g., handshakes

4. Health

• Child development -- enfants and young children
• Social support (patting 3 times, stop, 3 times …)
• Healing
• Blood pressure
  • Older adults
  • Pets

5. Areas of the body (touch diary)

• Non-vulnerable and accessible:  hands, arms, shoulders, upper back
• Vulnerable (intimates only):  head, neck, torso, lower back,  buttocks, legs, feet

6. Meanings

• Positive Emotion (support, inclusion, appreciation, sexual, affection)
• Immediacy is a more common message than dominance
• Playful (affection, aggression)
• Control
• Rituals (e.g., greeting)
• Task
• Accidental