(1) = strongly agree

(2) = somewhat agree

(3) = neutral, or it depends on the situation

(4) = somewhat disagree

(5) = strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5 1. A hug from a same-sex friend is a true sign of friendship.

1 2 3 4 5 2. Opposite-sex friends enjoy when I touch them appropriately and warmly.

1 2 3 4 5 3. I often put my arm around friends of the same sex.

1 2 3 4 5 4. When I see two friends of the same sex hugging on each other, it kind of disgusts me.

1 2 3 4 5 5. I like it when members of the opposite sex touch me non-romantically.

1 2 3 4 5 6. People shouldn't be so uptight about touching persons of the same sex.

1 2 3 4 5 7. I don't like it when strangers or acquaintances of the opposite sex touch me.

1 2 3 4 5 8. When a member of the opposite sex whom I don't know very well touches me, I find it

unpleasant.

1 2 3 4 5 9. I wish I were freer to show liking and affection by touching members of the same sex

more often.

1 2 3 4 5 10. I'd enjoy giving a non-romantic massage to an opposite-sex friend.

1 2 3 4 5 11. I enjoy kissing a person of the same sex on the cheek as a greeting.

1 2 3 4 5 12. I am comfortable touching friends who are the same sex as I am.

1 2 3 4 5 13. Touching the hair or head of a same-sex friend does not make me feel uncomfortable.

1 2 3 4 5 14. I find it enjoyable when my opposite sex date and I embrace.

1 2 3 4 5 15. I would enjoy getting a back rub from a member of the opposite sex.

1 2 3 4 5 16. I dislike getting a kiss from a relative of the same sex.

1 2 3 4 5 17. Intimate and consensual touching with members of the opposite sex is pleasurable.

1 2 3 4 5 18. If find it weird sometimes to be touched by a member of my own sex. To score your responses follow these procedures:

1.Reverse your scores for items 4, 7, 8, 16, and 18. Use these reverse scores for all future calculations.

2. To obtain your same-sex touch avoidance score (the extent to which you like to avoid touching members of your own sex) total the scores from items 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, and 18.

3.To obtain your opposite-sex touch avoidance score (the extent to which you avoid touching members of the opposite sex) total the scores for items 2, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15, and 17.

4. To obtain your total touch avoidance score, add the subtotals from Steps 2 and 3 above. The higher your score, the higher the touch avoidance, that is, the greater your tendency to avoid touch.

Among the findings of this study:

• Touch avoidance is positively related to communication apprehension. The more apprehensive a person is concerning communication, the more he or she will avoid touch.
• Touch avoidance is negatively related to self-disclosure. Low self-disclosing people will have higher touch avoidance scores.In other words, people who disclose little will also touch little. People who disclose a great deal will also likely touch a great deal.
• Heterosexual men evidence greater same-sex touch avoidance while heterosexual women evidence greater opposite-sex touch avoidance.
• Older marrieds evidence higher levels of opposite-sex touch avoidance, whereas little opposite-sex touch avoidance was found in young marrieds. Please answer these questions: 1. What was your score for same-sex touch avoidance, opposite-sex touch avoidance, and overall touch avoidance? Do you think these scores are accurate for you? 2. This assessment was devised for heterosexual men and women. If you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community, how are your scores different? If you are straight, how would you imagine scores would be different? 3. Do you think race plays a factor in touch avoidance? Do you think different races have different touch avoidance tendencies? 4. How do you think culture plays a role? Are you from (or do you know someone) from a culture that has different practices for same and opposite-sex touching? Are you from (or do you know someone) from a more touchy culture? 5. Some studies have revealed a relationship between touch and people who score high on empathy indicators. What are your thoughts on that?