Viewing a Face (Especially One's Own Face) Being Touched Enhances Tactile Perception on the Face

• Published in: Psychological science Vol. 19; no. 5; pp. 434 - 438
• Main Authors: Serino, Andrea, Pizzoferrato, Francesca, Làdavas, Elisabetta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA Blackwell Publishing 01.05.2008; SAGE Publications; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adult; Body; Brain; Cheek; Electric Stimulation - methods; Empathy; Face; Female; Fingers; Hands; Housing conditions; Human body; Humans; Italy; Male; Observational research; Perception; Perceptual Masking - physiology; Psychology; Reference Values; Research Reports; Sense of touch; Stimulus; Students - psychology; Tactile transducers; Thresholds; Touch; Touch - physiology; Trajectories; Visual information; Visual perception; Visual Perception - physiology; Visual stimulation; Italy

Observing touch on another person's body activates brain regions involved in tactile perception, even when the observer's body is not directly stimulated. Previous work has shown that in some synaesthetes, this effect induces a sensation of being touched. The present study shows that if pe...