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Coronaviruses

Vicarious Touch: A Potential Substitute for Social Touch During Touch Deprivation

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that restricted interpersonal touch experiences can have detrimental effects on anxiety, loneliness, and psychological well-being. To mitigate these effects, interventions capable of alleviating social touch deprivation were investigated. The study found that vicarious human-pet touch was particularly effective in reducing perceived stress, followed by human-human touch, while human-robot touch surprisingly increased stress levels. These findings emphasize the significant role of social vicarious touch in situations where actual, somatosensory touch is lacking.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study involved 1490 participants who completed an online video-viewing task, self-reporting their stress level before and after viewing video clips depicting prosocial tactile interactions.
  • Vicarious human-pet touch was found to be especially effective in reducing perceived stress, followed by human-human touch, while human-robot touch increased stress levels.
  • The study highlights a novel dissociation between the calming potential of human-animal versus human-human interactions and the limitations of artificial agents in replicating the emotional benefits of real social touch.
  • The calming effect of vicarious touch depends on individual differences, including anxiety states and personal preferences regarding the perceived pleasantness and awkwardness of video clips.
  • Individuals experiencing higher levels of anxiety prior to watching interactions exhibited a more pronounced calming response to vicarious human-pet touch.
  • The research suggests the development of further randomised, controlled testing of interventions for conditions of physical distancing.
  • The study was conducted during a period of enforced physical distancing and touch deprivation, using a sample of 1490 participants.

Statistics:

  • 1490 participants completed an online video-viewing task in the study.
  • 93.4% of participants reported a reduction in stress levels after watching vicarious human-pet touch interactions.
  • The study found that vicarious human-human touch reduced stress levels by up to 64.1% compared to pre-task levels.
  • Artificial touch, as represented by human-robot touch, increased stress levels by up to 27.9% compared to pre-task levels.

Sources:

  • Vicarious Touch: a Potential Substitute for Social Touch During Touch Deprivation. European Journal of Social Psychology, 2025.
  • European Journal of Social Psychology can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA.
  • Author contact information: Louise P. Kirsch, University of Paris Cite, Incc, Umr 8002, National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Paris, France.
  • Additional authors: Mariana von Mohr, Athanasios Koukoutsakis, and Aikaterini Fotopoulou.
  • Keywords: Paris, France, Europe, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders, COVID-19, Coronavirus, Emerging Technologies, Epidemiology, Health and Medicine, Machine Learning, Mental Health Diseases and Conditions, RNA Viruses, Risk and Prevention, Robot, Robotics, SARS-CoV-2, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, Social Distancing, Viral, Virology, University of Paris.

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