Virtual Exclusion, Real Comfort: The Power of Touch in Virtual Reality

This thesis explores the impact of affective touch, mediated by the activation of C-tactile (CT) afferents, in buffering the emotional and physiological effects of social exclusion. Using a virtual reality Cyberball paradigm, young adults were exposed to social exclusion while their cardiac responses to different types of touch were measured, possibly indicating autonomic self-regulatory mechanisms. The study included two experiments where different tactile stimulations were presented to the participants; skin-to-skin stroking, no touch, brushing, and spoon tapping. Findings indicated that social exclusion elicited subjective distress, which was alleviated by touch, regardless of the specific characteristic. The participants that did not receive any touch reported a sustained negative affective state after the exclusion phase. Physiological data revealed that touch had led to decreased heart rate and increased heart rate variability, suggesting that self-regulatory mechanisms aid in coping with exclusion. However, individual differences could influence these responses, highlighting the complexity of affective touch as a universal intervention. Future research should further explore how social presence, beyond CT activation, enhances the benefits of touch in virtual environments.