Editing Haptic communication (section)

===Love and intimacy{{Anchor|Love/intimacy}}===
{{main|Physical intimacy}}

====Healthy touch====
The primary nonverbal behavior that has the biggest effect on [[interpersonal relationships]] is touch. The amount of touching increases as a relationship moves from impersonal to personal.

Three areas of public touch between couples have been studied: the amount of touch between a couple in the initial stages of a romantic relationship; how much touching goes on between the couple, and the extent of touching with the amount of touch men and women displayed and who initiated the touch and when they initiated it.

Public touch can serve as a [[Tie signs|tie sign]] that shows others that one's partner is "taken".<ref>Morris, D. (1977), Manwatching: A field guide to human behavior. New York: Abrams.</ref> When a couple is holding hands or putting their arms around each other, this is a tie sign showing others that they are together. Tie signs are used more often by couples in the dating and courtship stages than between their married counterparts according to Burgoon, Buller, and Woodall.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Burgoon |first1=Judee K. |last2=Buller |first2=David B. |last3=Woodall |first3=William Gill |title=Nonverbal Communication: The Unspoken Dialogue |date=1996 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |isbn=978-0-07-008995-2 }}{{page needed|date=June 2017}}</ref>

Studies have also shown a difference between the sexes on who touches when. In the initial stages of a relationship, men often follow socially prescribed [[gender role]]s. Patterson indicated that men fulfilling this social role would touch more and after initial touch in casual relationships and as the relationship became more intimate during serious dating or [[marriage]] relationships, women would touch more.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Patterson |first1=M. L. |chapter=Functions of nonverbal behavior in close relationships |pages=41–56 |editor1-last=Duck |editor1-first=Steve |title=Handbook of Personal Relationships: Theory, Research and Interventions |date=1988 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-0-471-91491-4 }}</ref> American culture still dictates that men "make the first move" in the context of dating and relationships.

Touching between married couples may help maintain good health. In a study by [[University of Virginia]] psychologist [[Jim Coan]], women under stress showed signs of immediate relief by merely holding their husband's hand. This seemed to be effective when the woman was part of a satisfying marriage.

====Violence====
{{See also|Domestic violence|Common couple violence}}
Touching in intimate relationships may also be violent at times.  McEwan and Johnson categorize violent touch in relationships into two categories: intimate terrorism and common couple violence.<ref>McEwan, B., and Johnson, S.L. Relational Violence: The Darkest Side of Haptic Communication. The Nonverbal Communication Reader. Ed. L.K. Guerrero and M.L. Hall. 3rd ed. Long Grove, IL: Waveland P, 2008. 232-39.</ref> Intimate terrorism is characterized by an escalating need to control or dominate a relationship with high frequency and severity. Common couple violence, on the other hand, is often a result of minor conflict, is less frequent and severe, and does not escalate over time. These definitions encompass the types of violence within a situation regarding a couple, both intimate terrorism and common couple violence. On a broader spectrum there is also domestic violence that regards all types of violence including emotional, physical, or sexual. But, instead of only in a couple situation, domestic violence is not limited to just that, it also defines situations with any family member or people who live together. This includes roommates as well and also includes different types of abuse such as child, elder, or marital abuse.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Patra |first1=P. |last2=Prakash |first2=Jyoti |last3=Patra |first3=B |last4=Khanna |first4=Puneet |title=Intimate partner violence: Wounds are deeper |journal=Indian Journal of Psychiatry |date=2018 |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=494–498 |doi=10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_74_17 |doi-access=free |pmid=30581217 |pmc=6278226 }}</ref>