Touch is a fundamental requirement for our wellbeing, yet the amount of touch people receive across different cultures varies significantly.
Touch has been used for healing purposes by different cultures for millennia. In her book, Touch, Dr Tiffany Field notes that the Ebers Papyrus dated to 1553BC, “showed the early practice of healing by touch.” In 400BC, hand healers in Greece were called ‘kheirourgos’, which is the origin of the word ‘surgeon’. Meanwhile in Rome, Galen was a famous healer who used massage as a form of treatment. Even the Bible shows the laying on of hands as a way of healing those with a range of conditions and diseases.
Field writes that many cultures today still understand the importance of touch and some cultures live skin-to-skin, starting early on by passing their babies from person to person, regardless of their age. Yet many cultures around the world have lost touch and wellbeing levels are suffering as a result. Edward Hall developed a theory that cultural norms are one of the most crucial factors in determining social distance and touch between people. He believed there were two groups of cultures: “contact cultures” and “non-contact cultures”.
Higher contact cultures stand closer to each other, make more eye contact, speak louder and incorporate touch more frequently. Examples of high contact cultures include those from the Middle East, Latin America and Southern Europe. Conversely, low contact cultures may stand further away when talking, maintain less eye contact and usually steer clear of touch. It’s been suggested that low contact cultures tend to rely on verbal communication and have greater visual needs. An example would be the Far East. Hall stated that North America and Northern Europe were also non-contact cultures, however, others have sought to classify them as moderate contact cultures.
In the US or the UK, a handshake may be considered appropriate for meeting someone new. Whereas in France, a kiss on both cheeks is common. If a child is touched on the head in North America, that would be seen as fine, however, the head is considered sacred in Asia and this would be disrespectful. To shake hands or accept a gift with your left hand in the Middle East is seen to be rude, as this hand is used for bodily hygiene purposes. An interesting piece of research took place in cafes around the world and recorded the number of times two people sharing coffee touched each other per hour, evidencing the wide disparity in regards to how much we engage in touch. In London they recorded 0 touches per hour, in Florida 2 per hour, Paris 110 per hour and San Juan, more than 180 per hour.
To try and understand why some cultures are more open to touch than others, researchers began looking for correlations and discovered that warmer climates can affect emotional intensity, which may be related to closer interpersonal contacts. Studies have shown that the higher the annual temperature of a country, the closer the social distance between people and strangers. Another hypothesis proposes that hotter climates favour a friendlier environment, thereby encouraging people to stand closer. Interestingly, warmer climates seem to have more socio-emotionally oriented cultures, whereas cooler climates have more task-oriented cultures; perhaps because cooler climates require more collaboration for survival.
However, other factors can’t be discounted, such as the age of the individuals, their gender (and existing cultural views of gender), their status, the topic of the conversation, the opinion of one individual about the other and their relationship.
Indeed research by the University of Oxford and Finland’s Aalto University, seems to flip this theory on its head. Study participants came from Finland, France, Italy, Russia, and the UK. The results showed that some nationalities were less open to touch. British participants came bottom of the touchability index, as might be expected. However, there were some interesting results as Robin Dunbar, one of the researchers explained for an article in the Atlantic, “We hadn’t expected the Finns to turn out to be the most cuddly people… or that the Italians are almost as un-cuddly as the Brits.”
The fact that physical contact has such strong cultural meanings shows that it’s a vital element of non-verbal communication around the world. Becoming more tactile as a culture can increase the health benefits for society as a whole. As our societies become more disconnected, as loneliness becomes more prevalent and as mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression increase, maybe we as a social species need to return to high contact cultures to truly thrive during these challenging times.
FAQs
Examples of high contact cultures include those from the Middle East, Latin America and Southern Europe. Conversely, low contact cultures may stand further away when talking, maintain less eye contact and usually steer clear of touch.
Which culture is touchy? ›
High Contact cultures tend to stand close when speaking and make physical contact more often. Latin America, Southern Europe, and most Middle Eastern nations are examples. Medium Contact cultures stand quite close when speaking and will touch on occasion. Such cultures include Northern Europe and North America.
What is a cultural touch? ›
"cultural touch point" is a correct phrase in written English. You may use it to refer to a specific event, object, or activity that is part of a particular culture. For example, "The waltz is an important cultural touch point for many people in Austria and Germany."
What cultures are physically affectionate? ›
The number one country was Austria (97.3), followed by Germany (96.8) and Cuba (95.8). The United States was at 91.3 points. The least affectionate touch toward their partners was shown by volunteers from China (52.8), The Netherlands (57.5), and Ukraine (58.6).
What country is a non-touch culture? ›
*Cultures in which people tend to touch each other less often than is usual in most cultures, maintain more interpersonal distance, face each other more indirectly, have less eye contact, and speak more quietly. For example, China, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.
What cultures touch more? ›
Higher contact cultures stand closer to each other, make more eye contact, speak louder and incorporate touch more frequently. Examples of high contact cultures include those from the Middle East, Latin America and Southern Europe.
Which cultures don't hug? ›
It's a cultural thing…
But many cultures around the world don't hug to do this. In countries like India, Nepal, Thailand and Japan, a bow is customary rather than a hug. In India and Nepal, a bow, alongside saying “Namaste” is considered a sign of respect and gratitude.
What cultures don't allow touching? ›
The Japanese though, are culturally most opposed to the touch of a stranger. If you think about it, they greet each other with a bow, not a kiss or handshake. Muslims also have strict cultural rules about touching. Men and women cannot touch, even casually, in public.
What are examples of culturally sensitive? ›
Cultural sensitivity is important in fostering a cohesive, peaceful society. Examples of cultural sensitivity include asking a person how they would like to be addressed, respecting cultural health practices, and promoting multi-lingual signage.
Which culture refers to items you can physically touch? ›
Sociologists describe two interrelated aspects of human culture: the physical objects of the culture and the ideas associated with these objects. Material culture refers to the physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture.
Only around half of cultures kiss each other intimately. Central America, South America and Africa are particular regions where there is not much of a kissing culture. Only 4 of the 17 cultures researched in South America, 4 of 27 in Africa and 0 of 10 cultures in Central America lock lips romantically.
What country can you not show affection? ›
Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt are predominantly Muslim cultures. Although public displays of affection generally do not fit the local culture and customs, it varies even among these countries. Decency laws do not allow public displays of affection.
What cultures are eye contact disrespectful? ›
In many Eastern and some Caribbean cultures, meeting another's eyes can be perceived as rude or aggressive. In a 2013 study published in PLOS ONE, Asians were more likely than Westerners to regard a person who makes eye contact as angry or unapproachable.
What type of culture prefers infrequent touching? ›
Basic patterns: Cultures (English , German, Scandinavian, Chinese, Japanese) with high emotional restraint concepts have little public touch; those which encourage emotion (Latino, Middle-East, Jewish) accept frequent touches.
Is Japan a low contact culture? ›
Japan is a high-context culture, meaning that people tend to be less direct and explicit in their communications. They often use physical cues and require communication partners to decode their intent. Consequently, communication in Japan is highly complex, and words may convey several meanings.
What cultures are strict? ›
Examples of countries with tight cultures include China, France, India, Japan and Singapore. Loose cultures are those in which social norms are flexible and informal. They propose expectations but permit individuals to define the range of tolerable behavior within which they may exercise their own preferences.
What is the culture we can see and touch? ›
Elements of Surface Culture
It is a culture that values what can be seen, touched, and consumed as opposed to what lies beneath.
