Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the synchronization of heart rate variability, as well as the autonomic nervous activity and subjective indicators, when two individuals engage in conversation with physical contact. A total of 49 healthy men and women older than 18 years old participated in the study. Each participant was paired with another participant of the same sex and of similar age, whom he/she had never met before. The pairs were assigned to the intervention and control groups. As an experimental task, the participants in the intervention group were asked to engage in physical contact in addition to conversation. The results showed that synchronization of heart rate variability occurred in the intervention group. However, no significant difference in heart rate variability was observed between the two groups. The indicators of sympathetic nervous activity showed significant reductions in the latter half of the conversation in the intervention group relative to the control group. Subjective indicators were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group with respect to pleasant feelings during conversation, impression of the conversation partner, and effectiveness of physical contact. The feeling of resistance to being touched was associated with many items. These results have implications for nursing care : the recognition of physical contact for both the patient and the nurse needs to be assessed.
