The research we’re presenting today is not entirely new, but it’s fascinating and significant for understanding social emotions. It has uncovered an intriguing way to counteract the harmful impacts of social exclusion – simply touching a teddy bear. The study, based on two psychological experiments, was published in The Social Psychological and Personality Science in 2011 under the title: Touching a Teddy Bear Mitigates Negative Effects of Social Exclusion to Increase Prosocial Behavior.
Key Findings
- Physical touch, even with an inanimate object (like a teddy bear), can help mitigate the negative effects of social exclusion.
- Excluded individuals who touched a teddy bear behaved more prosocially compared to excluded individuals who did not touch a teddy bear.
- The pain of social rejection may share mechanisms with physical pain, allowing for physical interventions to address social-emotional needs.
- Positive emotion was found to mediate the relationship between touch and prosocial behavior for excluded participants.
- Positive emotions play a crucial role in promoting prosocial behavior following exclusion.
Study Design
Study 1
– Participants: 181 undergraduates
– Design: 3 (social feedback: future-alone vs. future-belonging vs. misfortune-control) × 2 (touch vs. no touch) between-participants factorial design
– Procedure:
1. Participants completed a personality questionnaire and received false feedback about their future social lives
2. Participants either touched a teddy bear or viewed it from a distance
3. Participants were asked to volunteer for extra experiments as the dependent measure
Study 2
– Participants: 95 undergraduates
– Design: 2 (exclusion vs. inclusion) × 2 (touch vs. no touch) between-participants factorial design
– Procedure:
1. Participants were randomly assigned to be excluded or included by a small group
2. Participants either touched a teddy bear or viewed it from a distance
3. Participants played a dictator game, with the amount offered as the dependent measure
4. Positive emotion was measured through linguistic analysis of open-ended responses
Key aspects of the methodology included:
– Experimental manipulation of social exclusion
– Manipulation of touch through interaction with a teddy bear
– Measurement of prosocial behavior through volunteering (Study 1) and monetary allocation (Study 2)
– Use of linguistic analysis to assess positive emotion as a potential mediator (Study 2)
Implications
This research on the effects of touching a teddy bear to mitigate social exclusion has several potential practical implications:
Therapeutic Applications
Counseling and Therapy: Therapists could incorporate soft objects like teddy bears into sessions with clients dealing with social rejection or isolation. This may help clients regulate emotions.
Support for Children: Schools and childcare facilities could provide stuffed animals as a coping tool for children experiencing social difficulties or exclusion from peer groups[1].
Workplace Interventions
Office Environments: Companies could consider placing soft objects in common areas or providing them to employees as a way to reduce stress and promote positive social behaviors, especially in high-pressure work environments.
Product Design
Comfort Objects: Designers of products meant to provide comfort or reduce stress could focus on incorporating soft, touchable elements to maximize psychological benefits.
Digital Interfaces: The findings may inspire the development of haptic feedback in digital devices to simulate comforting touch, potentially mitigating negative effects of online social exclusion.
Public Spaces
Waiting Areas: Hospitals, airports, and other high-stress public environments could provide soft objects for people to interact with, potentially reducing stress and promoting more positive social interactions.
Research Applications
Experimental Design: Researchers studying social exclusion or prosocial behavior could use tactile interventions as a new variable in their experiments.
