DoesTouchBringUsCloser?ExploringtheRoleofPhysical ContactinIntergroupContexts

The role of physical contact (PC) (e.g., touch) in interpersonal relationships is well documented, yet its effects in intergroup contextsremainunderinvestigated.Weexaminewhetherpositiveintergroupphysicalcontact(IPC)enhancesperceivedcloseness with out-group members, measured as inclusion of the out-group in the self (IOS), and test its mediating role in improving intergroup attitudes. In Study 1 (longitudinal; N = 550), PC with foreign peers longitudinally predicted IOS. In Study 2 (cross- sectional; N = 377), PC with people with disabilities was associated with IOS, which in turn was linked to out-group attitudes. In Study 3 (experimental; N = 86), imagined PC with a gay man versus an uncategorized individual increased heterosexual individuals’ IOS with gay men, which in turn improved out-group attitudes. Using multiple research methods and intergroup settings,weshowthatpositiveIPCimprovesattitudestowardstheout-groupbyenhancingexperiencedclosenesswithout-group members.