Dear Readers,
Non-sexual physical touch can be a complex subject. Struggling with touch is not necessarily an ace and aro-only topic, but it is often discussed in the ace/ aro community.
Physical touch is a way of communicating with another person and is used differently in different cultures. It starts with small things like how many kisses you give someone as a greeting and on which side you begin to display public affection as a couple.
I noticed that my friends from other cultures use more physical touch with their friends than I do. I’m not a touch avers, but to allow someone to hug or kiss me, I need to like this person. I enjoy cuddling or kissing with the right person. I don’t have a problem with friends touching me during a conversation. I even caught myself mirroring their touches after a while.
On the other hand, I absolutely hate massages. The last time I needed to get one for physiotherapy, I vomited afterward, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the poor person who just wanted to help.
I wanted to know whether or not being ace is part of why I’m not into physical touch. I am indifferent toward it. And it turns out, there is no clear answer to that. Some aces enjoy physical touch, some are avers, and some are kind of indifferent, like me.
Aversion to touch can be caused by a couple of reasons like trauma, anxiety, body dysmorphia, religious beliefs, or other cultural aspects, and probably there are a lot more reasons.
What are your experiences? Do you like non-sexual physical touch?
Best,
Ace
Choose your language: Arabic, German
(Sources: https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/60007-need-for-physical-touch/, https://www.treatmyocd.com/what-is-ocd/common-fears/i-hate-being-touched-by-people-could-it-be-ocd, https://spsp.org/news-center/character-context-blog/expression-affection-through-touch-across-cultures, https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/80612-aromantic-opinions-on-physical-affection/)