Touch and the body: First-hand and others’ tactile experiences reveal the embodied nature of pleasant social touch

Winner of the Competition “Prize for PhD Thesis 2023” arranged by Sapienza University Press.

From infancy to adulthood, touch shapes our understanding of self and others, influencing social interactions and emotional bonds. This work delves into the embodied nature of pleasant social touch. Through a series of innovative studies, the author investigates how social context and body location affect touch preferences in typically developing and autistic adults, as well as the influence of virtual body ownership on social touch perception. The thesis also explores the role of embodied simulation in empathy for pleasant touch and examines motor facilitation effects during the observation of others’ tactile experiences. Furthermore, it proposes a potential link between empathy for pleasant touch and prosocial behaviour. By combining cutting-edge techniques with established experimental paradigms, this thesis offers insights into the intricate relationship between touch, body representations, and social cognition. From exploring the roots of touch processing difficulties in autism spectrum disorders to uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying positive empathy, this work bridges crucial gaps in our understanding of social touch. Whether you’re a researcher in neuroscience and psychology, or simply curious about the power of human touch, this thesis provides a comprehensive and thoughtprovoking exploration of how our tactile experiences shape our social world. Discover the embodied phenomenon of pleasant social touch and its implications for human interaction.