FTA: > When did you last touch someone outside your family or intimate relationship? I don’t mean a brush of the fingers when you took your parcel from the del

FTA: > When did you last touch someone outside your family or intimate relationship? I don’t mean a brush of the fingers when you took your parcel from the delivery guy. I mean: when did you pat the arm or back of a stranger, colleague or friend? Literally all of the time. Shaking someone's hand as a thank you and patting their shoulder has become one of those weird social hacks that I learned have a great impact in bonding both parties and feeling a sense of camaraderie. Of course, you don't just randomly start touching people, and I'm far more careful in inter-gender exchanges, but it really is an important part of our sensory needs and experience. I don't like anyone other than my SO to touch my neck or back, but even then, if someone shakes my hand and pats me on the shoulder or back, it's hard not to have some sort of oxytocin response, at least for me. This is probably highly specific, but that seems to be my experience. If you're cool with a hug, you generally don't mind a pat on the back. Edit: also, if they ever appear uncomfortable with any sort of touch, I do my best to remember to always respect that, but they tend to be the people who send a lot of other non-verbal cues that it's not their thing and usually it's not hard to avoid even bumping into that issue.