About this Research Topic
Social touch is a powerful tool for the health of newborns to adult patients with different diseases. It strongly modulates the central and autonomic system and our behavior toward who is touching us. Observing facial expressions can be considered a source of additional information for the receiver of touch communication. Moreover, facial expressions convey emotional valence, allowing us to identify others’ intentions. Also, we know that social information may modulate the representation of peripersonal space (PPS). A growing body of literature shows that: 1) emotions are not characterized by just one valence, but multimodal aspects exist; 2) coding of emotions depends on different social and individual factors; 3) affectively-related objects are evaluated as more reachable than not affiliative ones, even if they are at the same distance.
Therefore, we can hypothesize the PPS-emotions interaction, even if the interaction between social touch, facial expression, and PPS is still unknown. This research topic aims to resume the studies investigating tactile and visual aspects of emotions, to find out new evidence as well as to explore the recent state of the art concerning the coding of facial expressions, peripersonal space, and social touch in terms of:
1) different social contexts
2) different healthy conditions
3) central networks involved
4) changes in autonomic nervous system balance
With all these contributions, it will be possible to trace a link between tactile and visual senses that should help to see emotions as widely as possible. The conclusion could be the answer to questions regarding the coding of emotions in broad terms involving both the autonomic and central nervous systems. Do the visual- and tactile-related central networks work independently, or do they interact to encode the peripersonal space and its modulation?
The scope of this Research Topic is to mark a link, at different levels, between the visual and tactile aspects of emotion and the PPS. Does PPS space affect the modulation of social touch and facial expressions? To reach this aim, any kind of manuscript will be welcome. Manuscripts with original data will help add new pieces to the puzzle of emotions. This kind of manuscript can be based on studies on healthy subjects and/or on patients and subjects (adults and/or children) living in adverse social conditions. In these two latter cases, the results could be of great help to better the understanding of how deviations from physiological conditions during childhood could dramatically affect the lives of individuals. Reviews will be helpful to resume the literature on the three aspects of emotions. Any other kind of manuscript will be welcome as long they may contribute to connecting the world of emotions.
Therefore, we can hypothesize the PPS-emotions interaction, even if the interaction between social touch, facial expression, and PPS is still unknown. This research topic aims to resume the studies investigating tactile and visual aspects of emotions, to find out new evidence as well as to explore the recent state of the art concerning the coding of facial expressions, peripersonal space, and social touch in terms of:
1) different social contexts
2) different healthy conditions
3) central networks involved
4) changes in autonomic nervous system balance
With all these contributions, it will be possible to trace a link between tactile and visual senses that should help to see emotions as widely as possible. The conclusion could be the answer to questions regarding the coding of emotions in broad terms involving both the autonomic and central nervous systems. Do the visual- and tactile-related central networks work independently, or do they interact to encode the peripersonal space and its modulation?
The scope of this Research Topic is to mark a link, at different levels, between the visual and tactile aspects of emotion and the PPS. Does PPS space affect the modulation of social touch and facial expressions? To reach this aim, any kind of manuscript will be welcome. Manuscripts with original data will help add new pieces to the puzzle of emotions. This kind of manuscript can be based on studies on healthy subjects and/or on patients and subjects (adults and/or children) living in adverse social conditions. In these two latter cases, the results could be of great help to better the understanding of how deviations from physiological conditions during childhood could dramatically affect the lives of individuals. Reviews will be helpful to resume the literature on the three aspects of emotions. Any other kind of manuscript will be welcome as long they may contribute to connecting the world of emotions.
Keywords: Affiliative touch, Social brain, Social touch, Peripersonal space, Facial expression, Autonomus nervous system, Central nervous system
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
