Abstract: Affectionate touch, which is vital for mental and physical health, was restricted during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study investigated the association between momentary affectionate touch and subjective well-being, as well as salivary oxytocin and cortisol in everyday life during the pandemic. In the first step, we measured anxiety and depression symptoms, loneliness, and attitude toward social touch in a large cross-sectional online survey (N=1,050). From this sample, N=247 participants completed ecologically momentary assessments (EMA) over two days with six daily assessments by answering smartphone-based questions on affectionate touch and momentary mental state and providing concomitant saliva samples for cortisol and oxytocin assessment. Multilevel models showed that on a within-person level, affectionate touch was associated with decreased self-reported anxiety, general burden, stress, and increased oxytocin levels. On a between-person level, affectionate touch was associated with decreased cortisol levels and higher happiness. Moreover, individuals with a positive attitude towards social touch experiencing loneliness reported more mental health problems. Our results suggest that affectionate touch is linked to higher endogenous oxytocin in times of pandemic and lockdown and might buffer stress on a subjective and hormonal level. These findings might have implications for preventing mental burden during social contact restrictions.