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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 5, 2026

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans

Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans

Published on: March 15, 2019

Affective touch: A meta-analysis on sex differences.

Valentina Russo¹, Cristina Ottaviani², Grazia Fernanda Spitoni²

¹Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews

|October 16, 2019

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Females perceive affective touch as more pleasant than males, according to a meta-analysis. This sex difference in tactile perception may stem from hormonal or evolutionary factors.

Keywords:

C-tactile afferents Gentle touch Pleasant touch Pleasantness

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychology
Social Sciences

Background:

The unmyelinated C-tactile afferent system plays a key role in hedonic touch and social functioning.
While females are generally more sensitive to touch, sex differences in affective touch perception are understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

To meta-analyze existing research on sex differences in the perception of affective touch.
To quantify the magnitude and consistency of any observed sex differences.

Main Methods:

A meta-analysis was conducted on thirteen eligible studies.
Pooled effect sizes (Hedges' g) were calculated using random-effects models.
Publication bias was assessed and found not to influence results.

Main Results:

A significant sex asymmetry was found, with females reporting higher pleasantness ratings for affective tactile stimulation compared to males.
The effect size was consistent across studies regardless of sex distribution, age, or methodological quality.

Conclusions:

Females exhibit greater pleasantness perception in response to affective touch than males.
Hormonal and evolutionary factors, potentially linked to female caregiving roles, may underlie these observed sex differences.
Further research is needed due to the limited number of studies included in this meta-analysis.