DISPENSARY CORNER 28 Oct 15
October 28, 2015
Just stick to shaking hands.
That’s the finding of a new study
from Oxford University which has
created a “map of acceptability”
when it comes to personal contact
between strangers.
Described by the BBC as “the
biggest study ever conducted into
physical contact,” the research
published in the Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences
journal found that most people
have an underlying aversion
to being touched by a stranger
anywhere but on their hands.
Evolutionary psychologist
Professor Robin Dunbar said
although “air kissing” had become
more prevalent in recent years,
“most people will put their hand
on the arm of the person as a
braking mechanism and to let the
other person know that they are
not about to chomp them”.
The researchers asked more
than 1,300 people from five
countries to colour in areas they
would allow different people to
touch, ranging from their partner
through to a complete stranger.
They came up with a fascinating
“social guide to touching” - and
some intriguing results which
included that men would rather
be touched on their genitals by a
casual female acquaintance than
by their own mother.
Italians were less comfortable
with being touched than Russians.
And interestingly, Professor
Dunbar said the rise of social
networking meant that people
were now touching each other
less frequently, which could
damage relationships in the long
term.
“Even in an era of mobile
communication and social
media, touch is still important for
establishing and maintaining the
bonds between people,” he said.
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