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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.
如果你不知道何时与人拥抱或轻拍对方手臂比较合适，这里就有现成指南帮你解决这一难题。
Oxford University scientists have created a series of body maps that show just where we are comfortable to be touched.
牛津大学的科学家制作出了“身体地图”系列，告诉人们别人碰我们哪些部位会感觉舒服。
The 'touchability index' provides colour-coded information for everyone from our nearest and dearest to extended family, casual acquaintances and complete strangers.
该图表通过不同的颜色来显示“可触碰指数”，范围包括最亲密的人、家人、点头之交以及陌生人。
Not surprisingly, the study of five European countries found that buttoned-up Britons were the least touchy-feely.
这个针对五个欧洲国家的研究发现：不出所料，沉默寡言的英国人是最不喜欢被别人触碰身体的人群。
It also showed – again, unsurprisingly – that the less we know someone, the less comfortable we are to be touched by them.
该研究还显示，同样在意料之中的结果还有——越不熟悉的人触碰我们，越让我们感到不适。
However, there was one noticeable exception.
然而，有个例外值得引起人们关注。
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.
对男性而言，只要对方是女性，即使是陌生人也没有触碰禁区。
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.
牛津大学心理学教授罗宾·邓巴与芬兰科学家合作，调查何种程度的触碰可以被我们所接受，以及触碰人身份不同对这一行为的影响有多大。
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.
他们给来自英国、芬兰、法国、意大利和俄罗斯等国家约1500名男性和女性发了一系列人体图谱，让他们将可触碰区域用颜色进行标记，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.
每位参与者针对13种不同社会关系制作了可触碰身体图，包括配偶、父母、兄弟姐妹、阿姨、叔叔、表亲和熟人等。
They also coloured in two more shapes, one for a stranger of each sex.
受访者还标出了针对同性与异性陌生人的可触碰图。
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.
通常情况下，关系越亲密，可触碰的雷区就越少。但人们普遍不愿意让最亲密的人以外的人触碰自己的性感带。
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.
这意味着，一名女子可能乐意让自己的叔叔拍她的后背，而前身则为禁区。男性陌生人应注意，除了手，女性几乎所有部位都是碰不得的。
Interestingly, the men studied had a different viewpoint.
有趣的是，受访男性对此持不同观点。
They didn't want another man touching them, with even the head and the feet no-go zones.
男性不希望同性碰触他们，甚至连头和脚都是禁区。
However, almost the entire male body was up for grabs to a female stranger or acquaintance, with no part considered taboo.
然而，几乎所有男性都愿意让陌生女性或熟人触碰身体的任何部位，没有禁区一说。
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.
英国皇家科学院（Royal Academy of Sciences）在《论文集》（Proceedings）杂志发布的报告称，事实上，对于男性而言，一位几乎不认识的女性拥有与其父母和兄弟姐妹几乎等同的“触碰权利”。虽然原因尚不明确，但研究发现，触碰令人越愉悦，此人被允许触碰的区域就越多。
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.
撇开触觉方面，意大利人的可触碰程度只比英国人稍高，而芬兰人是最愿意被触碰的人群。但这种差别很微小，且几乎所有国家的研究结果都非常相似。
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.
顶尖进化心理学家邓巴教授称，人们在触碰时会促使内啡肽分泌，可产生愉悦情绪，有助于维系人际关系。内啡肽这种物质通常与运动有关。
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：“触碰是非常普通的动作。虽然文化使人们对感触的感觉不同，但通常我们会通过相同的方式来回应别人的触碰。”
'Even in an era of mobile communications and social media, touch is still important for establishing and maintaining bonds between people.'
“即使在移动通讯和社交媒体的时代，触碰仍是建立和维持人际关系的重要方式。”
