Ambivalence of Touching: The Sensory Modality that Mediates the Relationship between Stuffed Animals and Humans

Abstract (English)

This presentation aims to clarify how sensory modalities such as touch and smell mediate relationships between humans and non-human beings. In particular, I focus on how stuffed animals and humans coexist while sharing a sense, and what role affective behaviors play in maintaining their relationships.
This presentation is based on interviews with stuffed animal owners in Japan. In particular, I focus on the behavior of owners touching and smelling their stuffed animals. Although the act of smelling seems to be something different from the act of touching, in fact there are some parts that are closely related. Some people smell stuffed animals for the smell itself, but others bring their faces close to the stuffed animal and smell it in the hope of touching the skin of their face with the stuffed animal. When they touch the stuffed animal with the skin of their face, the smell and the texture combine to create a sense of security, they can feel the "body temperature" of the stuffed animal, and it feels like the stuffed animal is hugging them.
The act of touching and smelling a stuffed animal is an act by which the owner expresses their affection for the stuffed animals, and by so doing deepens that affection. The more the owner touches the stuffed animal, the deeper the affection for the stuffed animal becomes, but the stuffed animal as an object deteriorates. The stuffed animal becomes dirty, the fabric weakens, and frays. For a stuffed animal that cannot regenerate its own skin, this is irreversible damage, and it also means that the animal is approaching "death" more quickly. Owners are acutely aware of this, and feel ambivalent about it. When a stuffed animal becomes dirty, the owner feels both happy and pity. Or, if the owner wants to hug the stuffed animal as an expression of affection, they may feel guilty or sorry about hugging it when it is weak. In order to protect their beloved stuffed animals, the owner may put clothes on the stuffed animal to protect the dirt, stop hugging it, or move the stuffed animal away from their face to sniff it so that the oils from their face do not get on it.