To touch or to talk: individual preferences, trust, and empathy in comforting behaviours

Social touch has the power to alleviate physical pain and emotional distress. Here we ask whether touch is perceived as more effective than words in comforting interactions, and its effects are influenced by interaction dynamics, individual preferences for touch, propensity to trust, and trait empathy. Across 2 studies, participants (n = 182) were exposed to comics depicting comforting interactions between two friends, one experiencing emotional distress and the other providing comfort either verbally or through touch. Results suggest that the comforter’s trustworthiness and the interaction positivity increase when the comforting modality matches the one that observers would likely use in their friendships. Tactile interactions and observers’ high trait empathy enhance emotional empathy but diminish the distress reduction effect of comforting gestures. Social touch therefore emerges as especially impactful in eliciting empathy, yet it may also carry the risk of enhancing personal distress for observers and comforters.