FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
If until now you believed that a touch indicates tenderness or comfort, a study comes to overturn this belief and sound the alarm for your partner.
Scientists in New York found that people with dark personality traits, including psychopathy, use touch to manipulate their partners.
In their study, they warn that touch can “increase the sense of ownership of objects” and “encourage obedience from a subordinate.”
So, if your partner tries to hug you during a verbal argument, he may be a psychopath or narcissist trying to establish his own power.
They can also do this by holding your arm, shoulder, back of your head, or even your hand.
The study's author, Richard Matson, a professor of psychology at Binghamton University, said that "not all forms of touch are benevolent" and "not all hugs are harmless."
"They can actually be used in the service of oneself at the expense of the partner in the relationship," he said.
The group says touch is one of the primary ways people express love, but "is not necessarily experienced positively or used in good faith by all individuals."
Examples of touch that are generally considered positive might be a hug from a friend, a handshake or an arm around the shoulders, or more intimate forms of touch like hugs and kisses.
But these can turn into negative forms of touch, depending on the people and the scenario, and can be used as a form of manipulation or control.
The study involved 500 students, over 18 years old, who were in a relationship and completed questionnaires assessing the level of three characteristics of the "Dark Triad", psychopathy, narcissism and Machiavellianism.
They found that both men and women with Dark Triad personality traits are more likely to use touch to manipulate their partner in a relationship, although the results varied by gender.
Men who were anxious about the state of their relationship were more likely to use "compulsive touching" to get reassurance from their partners.
Women who possessed Dark Triad traits felt more uncomfortable with manual touch, but were more likely to use touch as a means of manipulation.
The study, published in the journal Current Psychology, is the first to show significant links between dark triad traits and compulsive touch use.
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