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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Determining heat and mechanical pain threshold in inflamed skin of human subjects

Determining heat and mechanical pain threshold in inflamed skin of human subjects

Published on: January 14, 2009

In search for affect in painful touch.

Gianluca Cruciani¹, Pietro Zingaretti², Sergio De Filippis²

¹Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, Rome, Italy.

Journal of Affective Disorders

|March 27, 2025

Summary

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) patients find pleasure in rough, painful stimuli and apply intense pressure when self-touching. However, they don't differ from controls when attempting to pleasantly touch others.

Keywords:

Affective Touch Borderline Personality Disorder C-tactile Nociception Pain Pleasant touch Self-harm

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Determining heat and mechanical pain threshold in inflamed skin of human subjects

Determining heat and mechanical pain threshold in inflamed skin of human subjects

Published on: January 14, 2009

A Protocol of Manual Tests to Measure Sensation and Pain in Humans

A Protocol of Manual Tests to Measure Sensation and Pain in Humans

Published on: December 19, 2016

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

Area of Science:

Psychology
Neuroscience
Dermatology

Background:

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is associated with self-injurious behaviors and altered pain perception.
Previous research focused on pain in BPD, but the role of tactile pleasure remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate tactile pleasure perception in individuals with BPD.
To examine how BPD affects the experience and application of touch based on the Affective Touch and Social Touch Hypotheses.

Main Methods:

Compared 28 BPD patients and 28 healthy controls across three experiments.
Assessed subjective pleasantness of tactile stimuli from various objects.
Measured self-administered touch force and velocity, and force/velocity when touching others.

Main Results:

BPD patients perceived rough and painful objects as more pleasant than controls.
BPD patients applied significantly greater force (threefold) when self-administering touch with rough objects.
No group differences were observed in force or velocity when participants attempted to pleasantly touch another person.

Conclusions:

Tactile pleasure perception in BPD involves a preference for painful stimuli and intense self-applied pressure.
These altered tactile perceptions appear specific to self-stimulation and not social touch.
Findings suggest unique sensory processing differences in BPD related to affective touch.