Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Psychological Experiences Associated with Robotic Chair Massage: A Pilot Study

  • Assessment
  • Published:
Psychological Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This pilot study examined 186 healthy adults who received a 20-min full-body massage in a robotic massage chair. The majority of the participants rated the experience to be highly pleasurable, and this evaluation was influenced by age and life satisfaction. Large changes in pre- to post-massage symptoms of anxiety and tranquillity were also observed. These preliminary findings support the psychological effectiveness of robotic chair massage which can be readily used by lay people and professionals alike to promote mental health and well-being.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cole, J. C., Rabin, A. S., Smith, T. L., & Kaufman, A. S. (2004). Development and validation of a Rasch-derived CES-D Short Form. Psychological Assessment, 16, 360–372.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffen, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Field, T. M. (1998). Massage therapy effects. American Psychologist, 53, 1270–1281.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology. The Broaden-and-Build Theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218–226. doi:10.1037//0003-066X.56.3.218.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gosling, S. D., Rentfrow, P. J., & Swann, W. B. (2003). A very brief measure of the Big Five personality domains. Journal of Research in Personality, 37, 504–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heard, C. P., Tetzlaff, A., Fryer, P., DeHoog, L. F., Johnson, A. M., Wyburg, J., et al. (2012). Mechanical chair massage and stress reduction in the seriously mentally ill consumer: A preliminary investigation. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 28, 11–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marteau, T. M., & Bekker, H. (1992). The development of a six-item short-form of the state scale of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 31, 301–306.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moyer, C. A., & Rounds, J. (2009). The attitudes toward massage (ATOM) scale: Reliability, validity, and associated findings. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 13, 22–33. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2008.01.002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moyer, C. A., Rounds, J., & Hannum, J. W. (2004). A meta-analysis of massage therapy research. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 3–18. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.130.1.3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muller, J., Handlin, L., Harlen, M., Lindmark, U., & Ekstrom, A. (2015). Stress susceptibility and detachment: A randomized explorative pilot study. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 15, 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manual. Osaki TI-7700 instructional manual. Retrieved May 31, 2017 from http://www.easymassagechair.com/media/wysiwyg/MassageChairs/Titan/html/TI-7700/TI7700_manual.pdf

  • Robins, R. W., Hendin, H. M., & Trzesniewski, K. H. (2001). Measuring global self-esteem: Construct validation of a single-item measure and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 151–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zullino, D. F., Krenz, S., Fresard, E., Cancela, E., & Khazaal, Y. (2005). Local back massage with an automated massage chair: General muscle and psychophysiologic relaxing properties. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 11, 1103–1106.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sherman A. Lee.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lee, S.A., Murphy, C.L. & Taylor, V.M. Psychological Experiences Associated with Robotic Chair Massage: A Pilot Study. Psychol Stud 62, 196–199 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-017-0404-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-017-0404-z

Keywords

Navigation