The Importance of Touch

      When we were babies we depended upon our parents for all of our needs. Our parents held us and touch us in order to care for us. Touch played an important part in our development. We bond through physical touch. When you engage in pleasant touch, like a hug, your brain releases a hormone called oxytocin. This makes you feel good and firms up emotional and social bonds while lowering your anxiety and fear.
     There is a medical term for a lack of touch it is called Touch Starvation. According to WebMD Touch Starvation is a condition that happens when you don't get as much physical touch as you're used to or any at all. Some people experienced it during the pandemic while social distancing but it can happen with any lack of physical touch. We need the human touch because it can help regulate sleep and digestion, build your immune system, and help fight infections. When you don't get enough physical touch, you can become stressed, anxious, or depressed.
     According to WebMD it says you can fight Touch Starvation even when you can't physically interact with other people. You can video chat which lets you visually interact with others. Online exercise will help you to interact in a social setting which may make you feel less lonely. Interacting with pets is a form of touching that could ease some touch starvation symptoms. The article said that studies show that oxytocin levels peak in dog owners when they caress their pets.
     Dacher Keltner a university professor of psychology said, "Touch is the fundamental language of connection' "When you think about a parent's child bond or two friends or romantic partners, a lot of the ways in which we connect and trust and collaborate are founded in touch." In a survey 40,000 people from 2 countries took part in describing touch. The three most common words they used were "comforting", "warm" and "love".
     Touch increases our feelings of well being in social environments. When we feel that we are anxious or in danger a kind touch can reassure us that we are not alone. When we are going through a deep sorrow a hug from a friend can make us feel better. Your child who hugs you can make you feel loved. During a team sport a touch from a team mate can make you feel that he has your back. Touch also could be a pat on the back, a handshake, a high five or a friendly hug, we feel the need to reach out to each other and touch. Human beings are a herd species and we need to feel connected and touch is a form of connection that bring us closer together.