Does the sense of touch determine our opinions?

What we touch in each moment changes our way of thinking, according to research published in the latest issue of the journal Science . In a series of six experiments involving the sense of touch , researchers from Harvard and Yale Universities and the MIT Institute have verified how this sense, which is the first acquired by babies, conditions cognitive processes and social attitudes .

One of the tests consisted of checking how several people acted during a negotiation on the price of a new car . The psychologists concluded that those seated in rigid chairs were less flexible in modifying their posture than those seated in soft or cushioned seats . In another experiment, some participants held a soft blanket and others a wooden block while they were told an ambiguous story, set in a work environment, between an employee and their supervisor. When assessing the performance of the employee, those who held the wooden block considered him more rigid and strict.

In addition, to measure the effects of the different textures, the subjects had to complete puzzles before hearing a story about a social interaction. Some puzzle pieces were rough to the touch and others were soft. Those who had done the rough puzzle were more likely to describe the narrated situation as harsh. On the other hand, those who handled soft parts tended to describe themselves as more sociable and cooperative .