Longing for touch: Implications for general wellbeing and the perception of touch in adults

Longing for touch (LFT) refers to a discrepancy between touch wish and touch frequency. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the implications of LFT for general wellbeing and the perception of touch in adults. First, the prevalence of LFT during and after the COVID-19 pandemic was measured. Results showed that the prevalence remained high (78.2-80%), even in the absence of social distancing regulations. Second, the potential causes of LFT were explored. Physical distance (e.g., living further away from your family and friends) was more often identified as a cause of LFT than internal barriers (e.g., being afraid of being rejected). Third, the relation between LFT and quality of life (QoL) was assessed during the pandemic. LFT was found to be negatively associated with physical, psychological and social QoL. This further highlights the importance of touch for general wellbeing. Fourth, two novel physiological (the post-auricular reflex) and cognitive (the implicit association task) measures were used to investigate the relation between LFT and the pleasantness perception of touch in non-clinical adults. This association was also studied in clinical outpatients and women with interpersonal trauma. LFT was positively associated with the perception of images and videos of touch, suggesting that the appeal these visual stimuli increases when someone longs to be touched. However, LFT was not found to be associated with the perception of actual physical touch. Taken together, this thesis provides novel insights into the potential causes and consequences of LFT in adults. Further research is needed to better understand the mixed perceptual results, and to determine how the development of LFT could be prevented.