When not to pat someone on the shoulder

Physical touch can be surprisingly persuasive. From diners giving larger tips to waiters who touch them, to people being more helpful to strangers who pat them lightly on the arm, the literature has tended to paint a positive picture of the emotional influence of social touch. But now a study out of Belgium has documented what you might call the dark side of social touching. This isn’t about unwanted groping, which is always inappropriate. It’s about the fact that context is everything for light social touches, with the new research showing that even a friendly pat on the shoulder can have an adverse effect if it’s performed in the wrong situation.






What do you think? Are there any instances when you’ve been touched lightly (in a non-sexual way) and it’s irritated you? Or times that it’s endeared you to the toucher? Was it the context that made the difference?

_________________________________ ResearchBlogging.org


-Further reading-
The power of a light touch on the arm
Why is a touch on the arm so persuasive?

Post written by Christian Jarrett for the BPS Research Digest.

9 thoughts on “When not to pat someone on the shoulder”


    (Even people I've just met don't do it, for the most part — I must give off strong “STAY AWAY” vibes.)

    But anyway, my point is that it's not only the context or kind of interaction that matters — who the other person is matters too. For some, ALL touch is unpleasant/hostile.


  2. Random touching makes me irritable unless it's from a close friend, regardless of context. What's the socially acceptable way to tell a well-meaning but only loosely acquainted person “Stop that”? Usually it's a brief touch, they move on, and I can't be bothered to hunt the person down and explain to them why I have personal space issues.




  4. hi David – they had a cooperative context in the second study. Quote: “By contrast, in the cooperative context, touched participants went on to be more generous with their partner, as compared with participants who weren't touched.”


  5. Mea culpa – read too quickly! Wonder why the article was positioned as “When not to pat someone on the shoulder” rather than for example “Social touch can enhance collaboration”… Thoughts?




  7. When pat on the shoulder in a competitive context it’s percieved as “good luck, you’re gonna need it, I am superior” whereas in a cooperative context it’s more like “hey, good job, hope we’ll do as good next time” randomly being touched is always unpleasant. And for the love of god if you see someone bent over in anger DO NOT run your fingers across his back for he will punch you with all his might.


Leave a Reply


WordPress.com Logo


Twitter picture


Facebook photo


Google+ photo


Connecting to %s