Public Touch Behavior in Romantic Relationships between Men and Women (Sept-20)

The Theory Guerrero and Anderson (2008) explained that studies have reported mixed results regarding the sex difference in both the amount of touch and which sex initiates touch more often. They found that men initiated more touch behavior at the beginning stages of relationships, while women initiated more touch in serious/established relationships.

The Observation

My observation took place on a Friday afternoon in the food court at the Glenbrook Mall in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I specifically observed couples who were standing in line at Chick-Fil-A. This restaurant was selected due to the high volume of customers which the restaurant regularly receives.

The Conclusion

Throughout my observation, I noted that men typically initiated the public touch more often than women did. This touch usually was wrapping their arm around their partner’s shoulders or holding their partner’s waist.I feel that these touch behaviors were both to show affection and also to consolidate the amount of space the couple was occupying.

While I did not collect demographic information, my observation supports Guerrero and Anderson’s notion that men initiate touch more often in newer relationships. Throughout my observation, most of the customers I observed appeared to be in their early twenties.