Changes of sensory and emotional tactile dimensions with age in self-touch via the application of creams

Abstract

Touch moderates how we interact with objects, others, and ourselves, where self-touch is particularly important in self-care, although fewer studies have investigated its perception, especially with age. Here, women aged 20-28 and 65-75 years rated how self-applied creams felt on the cheek and forearm, using sensory and emotional descriptors in the Touch Perception Task. Factor analyses uncovered higher tactile dimensions, including Texture, Moisture, Positive Affect, and Negative Affect. Sensory dimensions were more intense in the young group, whereas Positive Affect was stronger in the older group. We then used network and clustering analyses to map how the descriptors interacted. Young participants showed significantly higher connectivity between descriptors, whereas older participants displayed fewer connections, but many became mixed sensory-emotional pairings. Clustering analyses revealed further changes in the tactile groupings with age. We conclude that aging reshapes touch into an emotionally-rich experience, which impacts how interact with ourselves and others.