You Can Touch This

At birth, touch is the most developed sense. But scientists have always thought touch conveys only a general positive or negative affect. According to a paper in the journal Emotion, touch can communicate distinct emotions—about as well as faces or voices. People "expressed" 12 emotions to a stranger who had put his arm through a curtain. Recipients guessed six of the emotions well above chance, scoring between 48 and 83 percent. MC Hammer didn't know what he was missing.

Contact Quiz

Match the six emotions with the types of touch:

A = Anger

D = Disgust

F = Fear

G = Gratitude

L = Love

S = Sympathy

  1. _______ Stroking, finger interlocking, rubbing
  2. _______ Squeezing, hitting, trembling
  3. _______ Trembling, shaking, squeezing
  4. _______ Pushing, lifting, tapping
  5. _______ Shaking, lifting, squeezing
  6. _______ Patting, stroking, rubbing

1.L, 2.A, 3.F, 4.D, 5.G, 6.S

Tags: communication, emotion, infants, sense, touchanger, curtain, disgust, emotion, emotions, faces, fear, gratitude, love, mc hammer, quiz, scientists, stranger, sympathy, voices

From the Magazine

By Matthew Hutson

Originally published in Psychology Today Magazine

Find a Therapist

Search our customized Directory for a licensed professional near you.

Current Issue