If you struggle to know when it is appropriate to give someone a hug or even simply pat them on the arm, help is at hand.
如果你不知道何時與人擁抱或輕拍對方手臂比較合適，這里就有現成指南幫你解決這一難題。

Oxford University scientists have created a series of body maps that show just where we are comfortable to be touched.
牛津大學的科學家制作出了“身體地圖”系列，告訴人們別人碰我們哪些部位會感覺舒服。

The 'touchability index' provides colour-coded information for everyone from our nearest and dearest to extended family, casual acquaintances and complete strangers.
該圖表通過不同的顏色來顯示“可觸碰指數”，范圍包括最親密的人、家人、點頭之交以及陌生人。

Not surprisingly, the study of five European countries found that buttoned-up Britons were the least touchy-feely.
這個針對五個歐洲國家的研究發現：不出所料，沉默寡言的英國人是最不喜歡被別人觸碰身體的人群。

It also showed – again, unsurprisingly – that the less we know someone, the less comfortable we are to be touched by them.
該研究還顯示，同樣在意料之中的結果還有——越不熟悉的人觸碰我們，越讓我們感到不適。

However, there was one noticeable exception.
然而，有個例外值得引起人們關注。

Men, it seems, have no areas which would be completely off limits to a touch from a total stranger – as long as the stranger is a woman.
對男性而言，只要對方是女性，即使是陌生人也沒有觸碰禁區。

Working with Finnish scientists, Oxford University psychologist Professor Robin Dunbar set out to investigate where we are comfortable to be touched and just how much the answer depends on who is doing the touching.
牛津大學心理學教授羅賓·鄧巴與芬蘭科學家合作，調查何種程度的觸碰可以被我們所接受，以及觸碰人身份不同對這一行為的影響有多大。

Almost 1,500 men and women from Britain, Finland, France, Italy and Russia were given a series of outlines of the human body and asked to colour in which parts they would allow someone to touch, front and back.
他們給來自英國、芬蘭、法國、意大利和俄羅斯等國家約1500名男性和女性發了一系列人體圖譜，讓他們將可觸碰區域用顏色進行標記，包括前身和后身。

Each person created touchability maps for 13 members of their social network, including their partner, their parents, their siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and acquaintances.
每位參與者針對13種不同社會關系制作了可觸碰身體圖，包括配偶、父母、兄弟姐妹、阿姨、叔叔、表親和熟人等。

They also coloured in two more shapes, one for a stranger of each sex.
受訪者還標出了針對同性與異性陌生人的可觸碰圖。

In general the closer the relationship, the fewer areas of the body that were taboo, although people tended to be uncomfortable about letting anyone except their nearest and dearest touch their erogenous zones.
通常情況下，關系越親密，可觸碰的雷區就越少。但人們普遍不愿意讓最親密的人以外的人觸碰自己的性感帶。

This meant that while a woman might be happy for her uncle to stroke her back, her front would be off limits. And male strangers should note that almost all parts of the female body are to be avoided, other than the hands.
這意味著，一名女子可能樂意讓自己的叔叔拍她的后背，而前身則為禁區。男性陌生人應注意，除了手，女性幾乎所有部位都是碰不得的。

Interestingly, the men studied had a different viewpoint.
有趣的是，受訪男性對此持不同觀點。

They didn't want another man touching them, with even the head and the feet no-go zones.
男性不希望同性碰觸他們，甚至連頭和腳都是禁區。

However, almost the entire male body was up for grabs to a female stranger or acquaintance, with no part considered taboo.
然而，幾乎所有男性都愿意讓陌生女性或熟人觸碰身體的任何部位，沒有禁區一說。

In fact, for men, a woman they barely know has similar 'touching rights' to a parent and more than a brother or sister, the journal Proceedings of the Royal Academy of Sciences reports. Although the reason for this is not clear, the study did find that the more pleasurable a touch was believed to be, the larger the body area that person was allowed access to.
英國皇家科學院（Royal Academy of Sciences）在《論文集》（Proceedings）雜志發布的報告稱，事實上，對于男性而言，一位幾乎不認識的女性擁有與其父母和兄弟姐妹幾乎等同的“觸碰權利”。雖然原因尚不明確，但研究發現，觸碰令人越愉悅，此人被允許觸碰的區域就越多。

Despite their tactile reputation, the Italians were only slightly more comfortable with touching than the British. The Finns were the most relaxed about being touched. However, the differences were small and the results were broadly similar across all the countries studied.
撇開觸覺方面，意大利人的可觸碰程度只比英國人稍高，而芬蘭人是最愿意被觸碰的人群。但這種差別很微小，且幾乎所有國家的研究結果都非常相似。

Professor Dunbar, a leading evolutionary psychologist, said touch helps maintain relationships by triggering the release of endorphins, the feel-good brain chemicals usually associated with exercise.
頂尖進化心理學家鄧巴教授稱，人們在觸碰時會促使內啡肽分泌，可產生愉悅情緒，有助于維系人際關系。內啡肽這種物質通常與運動有關。

He said: 'Touch is universal. While culture does modulate how we experience it, generally we all respond to touching in the same way.
他表示：“觸碰是非常普通的動作。雖然文化使人們對感觸的感覺不同，但通常我們會通過相同的方式來回應別人的觸碰。”

'Even in an era of mobile communications and social media, touch is still important for establishing and maintaining bonds between people.'
“即使在移動通訊和社交媒體的時代，觸碰仍是建立和維持人際關系的重要方式。”

Vocabulary

erogenous：性感的

tactile：[生理] 觸覺的，有觸覺的

endorphin： 內啡肽

modulate：調整

英文來源：每日郵報

譯者：Nimo0807

審校&編輯：丁一