scholarly journals Vicarious Ratings of Self vs. Other-directed Social Touch in Women with and Recovered from Anorexia Nervosa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashleigh Bellard ◽  
Paula Trotter ◽  
Francis McGlone ◽  
Valentina Cazzato
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Eating Pathology ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Treatment Interventions ◽  
Affective Touch ◽  
Self And Other ◽  
Social Touch ◽  
Recovery Treatment ◽  
Ct System

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is an eating pathology characterized by restricted eating, body image distortions and impaired socio-cognitive abilities. Altered responses to affective touch − a pleasant interoceptive stimulus hypothesised to involve activation of the C-Tactile (CT) system, may contribute to the aetiology and maintenance of this disorder. Here, we investigated whether third-party social touch vicarious ratings of different body sites at CT-optimal vs. non-CT optimal velocities differed in women with and recovered from AN (RAN) and healthy controls (HCs). Thirty-five HCs, 27 AN and 29 RAN provided pleasantness ratings for two different tasks designed to probe expectations of how touch is perceived by self (self-directed touch) vs. others (other-directed touch). Findings revealed that both clinical groups, compared to HCs, did not differ in their pleasantness ratings to touch for another but when evaluating touch for self, both clinical groups rated CT-optimal touch as less pleasant than HCs. These findings suggest that AN and RAN women demonstrate an atypical vicarious pleasantness response to affective touch involving self, but not others. Therefore, as atypical responses persist even after recovery, treatment interventions should focus on overcoming an impairment in differentiating between self and other affective touch experience, which could help prevent post-recovery relapsing.

scholarly journals Affective Touch Dimensions: From Sensitivity to Metacognition

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana von Mohr ◽  
Louise P. Kirsch ◽  
Joey K. Loh ◽  
Aikaterini Fotopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Signal Detection ◽  
Response Bias ◽  
Signal Detection Theory ◽  
Affective Touch ◽  
Social Touch ◽  
Ct Afferents ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
The Social ◽  
Ct System ◽  
First Time

AbstractTouch can give rise to different sensations including sensory, emotional and social aspects. Tactile pleasure typically associated with caress-like skin stroking of slow velocities (1-10 cm/s) has been hypothesised to relate to an unmyelinated, slow-conducting C-tactile afferent system (CT system), developed to distinguish affective touch from the ‘‘noise’’ of other tactile information on hairy skin (the so-called ‘social touch hypothesis’). However, to date, there is no psychometric examination of the discriminative and metacognitive processes that contribute to accurate awareness of pleasant touch stimuli. Over two studies (total N= 194), we combined for the first time CT stimulation with signal detection theory and metacognitive measurements to assess the social touch hypothesis on the role of the CT system in affective touch discrimination. Participants’ ability to accurately discriminate pleasantness of tactile stimuli of different velocities, as well as their response bias, was assessed using a force-choice task (high versus low pleasantness response) on two different skin sites: forearm (CT-skin) and palm (non-CT skin). We also examined whether such detection accuracy was related to the confidence in their decision (metacognitive sensitivity). Consistently with the social touch hypothesis, we found higher sensitivity d’ on the forearm versus the palm, indicating that people are better at discriminating between stimuli of high and low tactile pleasantness on a skin site that contains CT afferents. Strikingly, we also found more negative response bias on the forearm versus the palm, indicating a tendency to experience all stimuli on CT-skin as ‘high-pleasant’, with such effects depending on order, likely to be explained by prior touch exposure. Finally, we found that people have greater confidence in their ability to discriminate between affective touch stimuli on CT innervated skin than on non-CT skin, possibly relating to the domain specificity of CT touch hence suggesting a domain-specific, metacognitive hypothesis that can be explored in future studies as an extension of the social touch hypothesis.HighlightsTouch mediated by C-tactile (CT) afferents on hairy skin elicits pleasant sensationsWe combine for the first time CT stimulation with signal detection theoryBetter accuracy to detect pleasantness of tactile stimuli at CT optimal speeds on CT skinHigher confidence in ability to accurately distinguish affective touch on CT skin

scholarly journals Getting in Touch with the Lost Self: Vicarious and Affective Touch in Depersonalisation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Ciaunica ◽  
Jyothisa Mary Mathew ◽  
Ophelia Deroy ◽  
Merle Theresa Fairhurst
Keyword(s):  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Tactile Perception ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Affective Touch ◽  
Self And Other ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Social Touch ◽  
Vividness Rating ◽  
The Relationship

We conducted an online study featuring two experiments in order to examine the relationship between depersonalization experiences (DP) (i.e. feelings of being detached from one’s self and body) and vicarious affective touch and self-touch. Experiment 1 examined to what extent DP traits modulate the perceived pleasantness and/or vividness of tactile experiences as imagined being received by the self and other. In experiment 2 we designed a new affective self-touch intervention in order to explore the effect of CT-optimal self-touch stroking on one’s dorsal forearm on the perceived pleasantness and vividness of tactile experiences as being received by the self and other. We found that low DP individuals reported higher perceived pleasantness and vividness rating for touch. By contrast, the high DP cohort rated all touch experiences as significantly less pleasant. No significant interaction effects for vividness ratings of touch experiences across low and high DP. In addition, our results suggest that people with low DP rate the perceived pleasantness of the imagined social touch experiences as received by the self higher than if received by the other. Interestingly, in high DP individuals, there is no difference in the perceived pleasantness of affective touch imagined as being received by the self vs the other. Finally, we found that both low and high DP participants, following our tailored CT-optimal affective self-touch intervention on one’s own body, report significantly higher ratings of vividness of tactile perception.

scholarly journals Biopsychosocial intersections of social/affective touch and psychiatry: Implications of ‘touch hunger’ during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402199748
Author(s):  
Debanjan Banerjee ◽  
Velmarini Vasquez ◽  
Marisin Pecchio ◽  
Muralidhar L Hegde ◽  
Rao Ks Jagannatha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insular Cortex ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Sexual Intimacy ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Affective Touch ◽  
Social Touch ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Periaqueductal Grey Area

Background: Humans are neurobiologically wired for touch receptivity. Social touch is a common and mutual way of expressing affection, care, and intimacy. From an evolutionary perspective, affiliative and affectionate touch are considered necessary for social and cognitive development throughout life-stages and across species. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic as a public health threat has mandated social distancing as a measure to contain the global outbreak. Travel restrictions, lockdown, and quarantine have led to separation and segregation, giving rise to social touch deprivation that might have adverse biopsychosocial consequences. Methods: Affective touch has rarely been discussed within the purview of social psychiatry. We attempted to review the neurobiological, social, and behavioural correlates of social and sexual touch, as well as the neurophysiological models involved. Results: The unmyelinated peripheral C-fibre afferents projecting to insular cortex and somatosensory areas form the prime pathway for affective touch. ‘Top-down’ modulation via the periaqueductal grey area, rostroventral medulla and sub-cortical structures, and ‘Bottom-up’ approach via the dorsal horn of the spine form the two theoretical models of ‘social touch’ system. The mu - opioid receptor (MOR) implicated in the Brain Opioid Theory of Social Attachment (BOTSA) and social neuropeptides like oxytocin and vasopressin are the primary neurochemical substrates involved. Sexual intimacy involves other neurotransmitters, with increased oxytocin activity in the limbic structures, Nucleus Accumbens, Anterior Cingulate, and Prefrontal Cortex. The discrimination and amalgamation of touch senses, their affiliative value and emotional valence in humans are based on a complex interplay between psychobiological, environmental, and personal factors. Conclusion: The neurobehavioral and emotional effects of ‘touch hunger’ and strategies to mitigate it during COVID-19 are discussed in the context of psychoneuroimmunity and stress.

scholarly journals The anticipation and perception of affective touch in women with and recovered from Anorexia Nervosa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Crucianelli ◽  
Benedetta Demartini ◽  
Diana Goeta ◽  
Veronica Nisticò ◽  
Alkistis Saramandi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Ct Afferents ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Successful Recovery ◽  
Secondary Result ◽  
Ct System ◽  
Tactile System

AbstractDisruptions in reward processing and anhedonia have long being considered as possible contributors to the aetiology and maintenance of Anorexia nervosa (AN). Recently, interoceptive deficits have also been observed in AN, including reduced tactile pleasure. However, the extent to which this tactile anhedonia is specifically liked to an impairment in a specialized, interoceptive C tactile system originating at the periphery, or a more top-down mechanism in the processing of pleasant tactile stimuli remains debated. Here, we investigated two related hypotheses. First, we examined whether the differences, between patients with AN and healthy controls in the perception of pleasantness of touch stimuli delivered in a CT-optimal manner versus a CT non-optimal manner would also be observed in patients recovered from AN. This is important as tactile anhedonia in acute patients may be the secondary result of prolonged malnutrition, rather than a deficit that contributed to the development of the disorder. Second, we examined whether these three groups would also differ in their top-down, anticipatory beliefs about the perceived pleasantness of different materials touching the skin, and to what degree such top-down beliefs and related impairments in alexithymia and interoceptive sensibility would explain any differences in perceived tactile plesantness. To this end, we measured the anticipated pleasantness of various materials touching the skin and the perceived pleasantness of light, dynamic stroking touches applied to the forearm of 27 women with AN, 24 women who have recovered and 30 healthy controls using C Tactile (CT) afferents-optimal (slow) and non-optimal (fast) velocities. Our results showed that both clinical groups anticipated tactile experiences and rated delivered tactile stimuli as less pleasant than healthy controls, but the latter difference was not related to the CT optimality of the stimulation. Instead, differences in how CT optimal touch were perceived were predicted by differences in top-down beliefs, alexithymia and interoceptive sensibility. Thus, this study concludes that tactile anhedonia in AN is not the secondary result of malnutrition but persists as a trait even after otherwise successful recovery of AN and also it not linked to a bottom-up interoceptive deficit in the CT system, but rather to a learned, defective top-down anticipation of pleasant tactile experiences.

The Customer Isn’t Always Right: The Implications of Illegitimate Complaints

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kawon Kim ◽  
Melissa A. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Expression ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Behavioral Reactions ◽  
Complaining Behavior ◽  
Recovery Treatment ◽  
Tipping Behavior ◽  
The Impact

Due to the common business practice of the “customer is always right,” many companies have a risk of dealing with illegitimate complaints. Although illegitimate complaints are a major issue in the hospitality industry, no study has yet examined the impact of illegitimate customer complaining behavior on customers who can witness the complaining and recovery process of others. To fill this gap, this research examines the effects of service recovery aimed at illegitimate customers on customers who witness the complaints’ behavioral reactions (revisit intention, tipping behavior, intention to complain) and the role of emotional expression. A 2 (Service recovery aimed at other customer; good vs. poor) × 2 (Legitimacy of complaining behavior of other customers: legitimate vs. illegitimate) × 2 (Emotional expression: aggressive vs. calm) scenario-based between-subjects factorial experiment is utilized. This research provides evidence that witnessing illegitimate complaints of other customers and the subsequent service recovery aimed at those complainers impacts the behavioral reactions of customers who witness that situation. This study broadens the service recovery literature by incorporating third-party justice theory with illegitimate customer behavior by specifically examining the unique case where the firm is not responsible for the service recovery. In addition, the findings address the benefit to service firms by understanding the impact of witnessing other customers’ service recovery treatment on observers’ subsequent behavioral intentions.

Arbitration from a Law & Economics Perspective

2020 ◽  
pp. 873-894
Author(s):  
Anne van Aaken ◽  
Tomer Broude
Keyword(s):  
Dispute Resolution ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
The Other ◽  
Third Party ◽  
International Arbitration ◽  
General Welfare ◽  
Welfare Consequences ◽  
Party Funding

This chapter offers a Law & Economics (L&E) perspective on international arbitration. L&E scholars tend to view dispute resolution as a market. They thus look at the supply and demand of such third-party adjudication, usually comparing litigation to arbitration. Predominantly, in the literature, there are two interrelated L&E perspectives on this: one is focused on the general welfare consequences of arbitration; the other is focused on why disputants choose one kind of third-party settlement over another. There are many ways of resolving disputes between contractual parties: arbitration is also in competition with mediation, conciliation, litigation, and other forms of resolving disputes, including so-called ‘extra-legal’, socially normative ones. Most literature has focused either on the choice between litigation and arbitration or on the influence of arbitration on negotiation and settlement between the parties. The chapter then addresses other disputant choices relating to third-party funding and arbitrator appointment. It also looks at the incentives and behaviour of arbitrators, including their cognitive abilities.

Differential diagnosis of anorexia nervosa and obsessive compulsive disorder in a male military veteran

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Kiselica ◽  
Renee Brown Hangartner ◽  
Adam B. Lewin
Keyword(s):  
Differential Diagnosis ◽  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Eating Pathology ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Military Life ◽  
Military Veteran ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractResearch on the relationship between military service and eating pathology has yielded mixed findings. Among those of military backgrounds, anorexia nervosa typically presents with co-occurring disorders that complicate diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of this paper is to present a case report of a retired Navy midshipman. The patient sought treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), but his assessment revealed the primary pathology to be anorexia nervosa. This case illustrates ways in which military life may contribute to eating pathology and the complex overlap and differential diagnosis of anorexia nervosa and OCD.

scholarly journals Oxytocin increases the pleasantness of affective touch and orbitofrontal cortex activity independent of valence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanshu Chen ◽  
Benjamin Becker ◽  
Yingying Zhang ◽  
Han Cui ◽  
Jun Du ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Anterior Insula ◽  
Affiliative Behavior ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Affective Touch ◽  
Negative Valence ◽  
Social Touch ◽  
C Fibers ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Male Subjects

AbstractTouch plays a crucial role in affiliative behavior and social communication. The neuropeptide oxytocin is released in response to touch and may act to facilitate the rewarding effects of social touch. However, no studies to date have determined whether oxytocin facilitates behavioral or neural responses to non-socially administered affective touch and possible differential effects of touch valence. In a functional MRI experiment using a randomized placebo-controlled, within-subject design in 40 male subjects we investigated the effects of intranasal oxytocin (24IU) on behavioral and neural responses to positive, neutral and negative valence touch administered to the arm via different types of materials at a frequency aimed to optimally stimulate C-fibers. Results showed that oxytocin significantly increased both the perceived pleasantness of touch and activation of the orbitofrontal cortex independent of touch valence. The effects of OT on touch-evoked orbitofrontal activation were also positively associated with basal oxytocin concentrations in blood. Additionally, anterior insula activity and the functional connectivity between the amygdala and right anterior insula were enhanced only in response to negative valence touch. Overall, the present study provides the first evidence that oxytocin may facilitate the rewarding effects of all types of touch, irrespective of valence.

scholarly journals The off-line effect of affective touch on multisensory integration and tactile perceptual accuracy during the somatic signal detection task

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261060
Author(s):  
Sofia Sacchetti ◽  
Francis McGlone ◽  
Valentina Cazzato ◽  
Laura Mirams
Keyword(s):  
Signal Detection ◽  
Multisensory Integration ◽  
Detection Task ◽  
Perceptual Accuracy ◽  
Affective Touch ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Somatic Signal ◽  
Signal Detection Task ◽  
Ct System ◽  
Somatic Signal Detection Task

Affective touch refers to the emotional and motivational facets of tactile sensation and has been linked to the activation of a specialised system of mechanosensory afferents (the CT system), that respond optimally to slow caress-like touch. Affective touch has been shown to play an important role in the building of the bodily self: the multisensory integrated global awareness of one’s own body. Here we investigated the effects of affective touch on subsequent tactile awareness and multisensory integration using the Somatic Signal Detection Task (SSDT). During the SSDT, participants were required to detect near-threshold tactile stimulation on their cheek, in the presence/absence of a concomitant light. Participants repeated the SSDT twice, before and after receiving a touch manipulation. Participants were divided into two groups: one received affective touch (CT optimal; n = 32), and the second received non-affective touch (non-CT optimal; n = 34). Levels of arousal (skin conductance levels, SCLs) and mood changes after the touch manipulation were also measured. Affective touch led to an increase in tactile accuracy, as indicated by less false reports of touch and a trend towards higher tactile sensitivity during the subsequent SSDT. Conversely, non-affective touch was found to induce a partial decrease in the correct detection of touch possibly due to a desensitization of skin mechanoreceptors. Both affective and non-affective touch induced a more positive mood and higher SCLs in participants. The increase in SCLs was greater after affective touch. We conclude that receiving affective touch enhances the sense of bodily self therefore increasing perceptual accuracy and awareness. Higher SCLs are suggested to be a possible mediator linking affective touch to a greater tactile accuracy. Clinical implications are discussed.

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