The psychology of touch

Crisp sheets against your skin. Warm sand between your toes. The smooth grain of wood. The soft sleeve of a favorite sweater. Most of us have a few sensations we’d happily come back to, even if we’ve never stopped to wonder why they feel so good.

But how does the way something feels shape how we feel about it?

There’s plenty happening between skin and brain, from detecting tiny differences in texture to forming memories of things we’ve held. Even the words we use can change how a surface feels. 

We’re taking a closer look at the science behind those everyday pleasures, and what it means for brands making things people love to touch.

Key takeaways

• Touch helps us identify what we’re holding and decide how we feel about it. Brain scans show that the brain responds differently to pleasant, neutral, and painful sensations.
• Texture, softness, and weight can become part of the brand experience, not just product specifications. 
• Touch can create detailed memories quickly. In one experiment, participants recognized objects they’d handled with 94% accuracy immediately and 85% a week later.

Made to be felt

Think about how your Marketing Materials feel in your hand. Smooth? Rough? Slightly sticky? Receptors in your skin respond to contact, sending signals through your nervous system for your brain to interpret. 

Running your fingers over a surface helps you pick up those tiny details. Fine textures create minute vibrations as they move against your skin, helping your nervous system tell one surface from another.

That’s part of what’s happening when you rub a Business Card between your finger and thumb. You’re getting a feel for the design, quite literally.

The soft spot

Touch helps you do two things at once: work out what something is and decide whether you like it. Brain scans revealed different patterns of activity depending on whether a sensation felt pleasant, neutral, or painful. 

Generally, we like things soft. In one experiment, researchers pressed samples of varying softness against participants’ fingers. The softer the sample, the more pleasant participants generally found it.

That response gives designers something to work with. On a Cotton Business Card, softness is felt the moment the card changes hands. A Softcover Notebook uses a flexible cover to make it more inviting to pick up and use.

Words can transform feelings

Sometimes, what we’re told about a texture changes how we experience it. A study found that people rated cream being rubbed onto their arms as more pleasant when it was labeled “Rich moisturizing cream” rather than “Basic cream.” 

The cream was identical, but a few different words changed how participants experienced it – a neat example of how expectations can shape perceptions of quality.

For brands, words set expectations, and the physical object has to live up to them. If you say something is carefully crafted, it needs to feel that way when someone picks it up.

Some memories are hands-on

You probably know your favorite Mug by its handle, or a MOO Twist Pen by its satisfying weight, without even looking. Familiar objects have physical details we learn through touch. 

Touch can create detailed memories quickly, too. Researchers at APS asked 26 blindfolded participants to handle 168 everyday objects for ten seconds each. They recognized them with 94% accuracy immediately afterward and 85% a week later.

Touch gives memory more to work with. With printed marketing, the feel of the piece becomes part of the message. Paper stock, thickness, and Special Finishes give fingers more to explore, from the pressed-in detail of Letterpress to the smooth, raised surface of Raised Spot Gloss. That gives people more than words and pictures to remember.

Give your brand its own feel with MOO

Explore our range of Marketing Materials and Branded Merch. 

And if you’re looking for support bringing your brand to life in print, MOO Business Services can help you choose the products, papers and finishes that make it feel unmistakably yours.