Infectious touching: Has COVID-19 changed our perceptions of social touch? A neural and behavioural study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Social Science

Background:

• Social touch is crucial for stress reduction and social bonding.
• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered social behaviors and human responses to touch.
• The vigilance-avoidance theory suggests prolonged threat reduces engagement with social stimuli.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the perception of interpersonal touch.
• To compare behavioral and electrophysiological responses to social touch before and during the pandemic.
• To test the hypothesis that pandemic-related threat reduces attentional and emotional engagement with social touch.

Main Methods:

• Ninety participants rated the pleasantness of images depicting human/inanimate touch and non-touch stimuli.
• Behavioral data (pleasantness ratings) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data were collected.
• EEG components, including P1 and late positive potential (LPP), were analyzed for attention and emotional processing markers.

Main Results:

• Participants tested during the pandemic rated social touch images as less pleasant compared to pre-pandemic participants.
• EEG analysis showed a significant difference in P1 responses: the distinction between touch and non-touch stimuli present pre-pandemic disappeared during the pandemic.
• No significant differences were found in LPP or P1 latency.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic diminished the perceived pleasantness and salience of interpersonal touch.
• The reduced P1 response indicates a potential decrease in early attentional processing of social touch during the pandemic.
• These changes may have implications for stress reduction and social bonding, highlighting the importance of physical connection.