Soft assurance : coping with uncertainty through haptic sensations

van Horen, F and Mussweiler, T M (2014) Soft assurance : coping with uncertainty through haptic sensations. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 54. pp. 73-80. ISSN 0022-1031

Abstract

Uncertainty is an inescapable element of human life. But how do people deal with it? To date, most research has focused on the cognitive strategies people adopt to do so. In four experiments we examine, whether people may also use an alternative experiential route to cope with uncertainty. We demonstrate that (1) when faced with uncertainty, people seek soft haptic sensations (Experiments 1 and 2) and (2) that doing so is functional (Experiments 3 and 4). More specifically, we show that people shift their preference to objects with soft (i.e., soft-grip pen, soft candy) rather than hard properties (i.e., hard-grip pen, hard candy) when feeling uncertain. Furthermore, we show that holding something soft (i.e., a soft-grip pen, a soft cloth) as compared to something hard (i.e., a hard-grip pen, a hard cloth) reduces uncertainty on a subsequent ambiguous task and helps to shield against uncertainty in daily life by increasing tolerance toward uncertainty. Overall, this research reveals that humans may use their oldest and most fundamental sense – touch – as a basic experiential device to cope with uncertainty

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Item Type: Article
Subject Areas: Organisational Behaviour
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© 2014 Elsevier

Date Deposited: 21 Nov 2016 11:46
Subjects: Emotions
Mental processes and abilities
Last Modified: 05 Nov 2024 02:51
URI: https://lbsresearch.london.edu/id/eprint/625
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