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Tracking changes in touch desire and touch avoidance before and after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Yusuke Ujitoko1, Takumi Yokosaka1, Yuki Ban2

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The COVID-19 pandemic increased desire for human and pet touch, revealing widespread "skin hunger" due to social distancing. Avoidance of touching everyday objects initially rose but later decreased.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Touch is crucial for well-being, social bonding, and survival.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated social distancing, leading to reduced physical contact and potential isolation.
  • This dissociation from touch has raised concerns about mental and physical health impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human attitudes towards touch.
  • To analyze changes in the desire for and avoidance of touching animate and inanimate objects.
  • To identify the emergence of
  • skin hunger
  • as a public health concern.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of large-scale Japanese Twitter data spanning 8 years.
  • Utilized difference-in-differences estimation to assess the COVID-19 outbreak's impact.
  • Examined shifts in user desire and avoidance related to touching various targets.

Main Results:

  • A significant increase in the desire to touch human bodies and pets was observed post-COVID-19 outbreak.
  • Avoidance of touching everyday objects (e.g., doorknobs, money) initially increased but subsequently returned to pre-pandemic levels.
  • Findings indicate a shift in human touch behavior and a potential decrease in infection control awareness over time.

Conclusions:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly altered human touch behaviors, increasing the desire for social and companion touch.
  • The study highlights
  • skin hunger
  • as a significant consequence of social distancing measures.
  • There is a need to address the psychological effects of reduced touch and monitor evolving infection control awareness.