Is Contagious Itching Worse On A Bad Day?: Negative Mood, Empathy and the relation to Contagious Itching

One important aspect of itch is that it is known to be, to varying degrees, socially contagious, which means that humans will unconsciously mirror itching and scratching behaviour when they see it. However, the contagious itching phenomenon is studied very little and concrete information on the topic is scarce. Previous research indicates that heightened levels of depression and anxiety are linked to increased itching behaviour and tentative results link variations in trait empathy to variations in variation in contagious itching. Trait empathy has also been found to be a factor in how much or little outside influences can affect a person’s mood. We examined the presence of contagious itch in our sample, the relationship between negative mood and contagious itch and two possible ways empathy might have an interplay with this relationship. Using video vignettes, we successfully produced the contagious itching effect in our study, however, we found no indication this was influenced by...Show moreOne important aspect of itch is that it is known to be, to varying degrees, socially contagious, which means that humans will unconsciously mirror itching and scratching behaviour when they see it. However, the contagious itching phenomenon is studied very little and concrete information on the topic is scarce. Previous research indicates that heightened levels of depression and anxiety are linked to increased itching behaviour and tentative results link variations in trait empathy to variations in variation in contagious itching. Trait empathy has also been found to be a factor in how much or little outside influences can affect a person’s mood. We examined the presence of contagious itch in our sample, the relationship between negative mood and contagious itch and two possible ways empathy might have an interplay with this relationship. Using video vignettes, we successfully produced the contagious itching effect in our study, however, we found no indication this was influenced by mood. Empathy was not a significant covariate in this relationship nor did it serve a moderating effect. The findings of this study contradict prior research on the relationship between negative mood and contagious itch, as we found no indication that negative mood was related to contagious itching, nor that including empathy had any influence on how much negative mood had an effect on contagious itch. Future studies with varying measurements of mood, including positive mood, could perhaps provide a different perspective on these results, as well as a possible combination of experienced itch and observed scratching behaviours.Show less

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Is Contagious Itching Worse On A Bad Day? Negative Mood, Empathy and the relation to Contagious Itching