How many times a day do you touch your mobile phone screen? What about your partner? You know that physical touch is as important an aspect of a relationship as sex. To maintain a romantic and emotional connection, a couple must stay “connected” physically—literally connecting. In this article we will talk about why tactile contact is so important and how to show your love with it.
What is tactile hunger
Skin hunger is a human biological need for touch. This phenomenon does not have Degges‑White S. Skin Hunger, Touch Starvation, and Hug Deprivation. Psychology Today has a common name, but it is also described by other terms: touch hunger/starvation, touch deprivation.
Tactile hunger arises Park W. Why human touch is so hard to replace. BBC Future, when a person notices the difference between the actual and desired amount of bodily contact - this can be compared to the usual lack of food. Moreover, the norm of touching is individual for everyone. There are people who constantly require physical contact, and there are those who categorically do not accept being touched. The majority are somewhere in the middle.
One of the reasons is Forsell LM, Astrom JA Meanings of Hugging: From Greeting Behavior to Touching Implications. Comprehensive Psychology, why people have different attitudes towards bodily contact may be a childhood experience. Thus, children from families in which parents hugged frequently are more likely to do the same in adulthood.
The decline in body contact began long before the pandemic. In today's world, families have become Burton N. Touch Hunger. Psychology Today is smaller, the flow of information has increased significantly (we are increasingly “communicating” with gadgets) and people have become isolated from each other like never before.
In 2021, the Touch Research Institute launched Jones J. Americans are touching each other less—and it's making us more violent. APB monitors passengers at airports to determine how often they touch each other. It turned out that 98% of the time people are busy with their phones and there is no physical contact between them.
Social norms have also changed. Taking someone by the hand or patting them on the shoulder can be perceived as a violation of personal space.
Some countries, such as the USA Field T. American Adolescents Touch Each Other Less and Are More Aggressive towards Their Peers as Compared with French Adolescents. Adolescence even introduced a “no touch” rule in schools.
One of the first studies of tactile hunger was the experiment of Harlow HF, Zimmerman RR Affectional Response in the Infant Monkey. Science 1959, conducted by American psychologist Harry Harlow. He and Robert Zimmerman separated baby monkeys from their mothers by giving them a choice of two substitutes: one made of wood and wire, and the other soft, covered with fabric. Most often, the kids chose the latter, even though both the wooden and rag doll had a bottle of milk. Based on this, Harlow introduced the concept of “contact comfort,” meaning that cubs from their mother need not only food, but also touch.
Newer research shows that touch is not only pleasant for most, but can also serve as a means of persuasion and motivation. Thus, restaurant patrons give more to Crusco AH, Wetzel CG The Midas Touch: The Effects of Interpersonal Touch on Restaurant Tipping. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin of tips for waiters who touched them during checkout. Teacher's touch helps Guéguen N. Nonverbal Encouragement of Participation in a Course: the Effect of Touching. Social Psychology of Education students to believe in themselves, and US National Basketball Association teams in which players high-five each other or pat teammates on the shoulder are more likely to Kraus MW, Huang C., Keltner D. Tactile communication, cooperation, and performance: an ethological study of the NBA. Emotion wins.
But the pandemic has made the situation much worse, as almost all of us are forced to avoid physical contact. Specialists from the Institute of Touch examined Kale S. Skin hunger helps explain your desperate longing for human touch. Wired the problem of tactile hunger during quarantine. The results are as follows: 26% of respondents experience a severe lack of touch, and 16% experience a moderate lack of touch.
How one or another type of perception is formed
The predominant type of perception is an innate property of the individual. However, it can be changed if you purposefully stimulate the work of certain analytical systems of the child.
| Psychotype | Formation conditions | Example |
| Audial |
| A man and woman of different nationalities got married. When their child was born, they decided to speak two languages with him so that the child would be prepared to communicate in the homeland of his mother and father. As a result of the fact that from birth the baby perceived a lot of information by ear, the auditory channel of perception became dominant in him. |
| Visual |
| In a family with two sons, a girl was born. Mom, wanting to instill good manners in her daughter, taught her to be neat from childhood, encouraged her to take care of her appearance, keep her clothes clean and choose matching things. This girl later became a designer, since she had a well-developed sense of color and composition, and it was easier for her to work with clarity than to imagine herself in some other field of economic activity. |
| Digital |
| In a family of lawyers, it was customary to discuss and think about any decisions. Since childhood, the boy was accustomed to family negotiations; he liked to read detective stories and solve puzzles. Having become an adult, he solves all life’s difficulties only from a position of logic and careful analysis. |
| Kinesthetic |
| Parents noticed that their daughter could not wear clothes made from fabrics such as wool and linen. She complained that “the sweater itches” and “the shirt rubs the skin.” Mother washed things with air conditioner, but the situation did not change. In addition, the girl often complained that her room was too cold or stuffy. The parents believed that their daughter was capricious, but the school psychologist suggested that the girl was a kineticist, which is why different types of sensations were so important to her. |
What are the benefits of touching?
Evolutionarily, humans are social creatures: being around other people increased (and to some extent still increases) the chances of survival. Therefore, our brain perceives Cassata C. How Touching Your Partner Can Make Both of You Healthier. Healthline touches as a sign that we are not alone, which means we are safe.
During such contacts, sensors located under the skin send Sharkey L. What Does It Mean to Be Touch Starved? Healthline signals to the vagus nerve. It connects the brain with all other organs. Increasing the tone of the vagus nerve slows down the functioning of the nervous system and activates several beneficial reactions in the body at once. The person becomes Cassata C. How Touching Your Partner Can Make Both of You Healthier. Healthline is less stressful: a smile may appear on your face, and relaxation of the muscles in your inner ear helps you listen more attentively.
Touch has other beneficial effects.
They help the body produce antidepressant hormones
Feeling pleasant touches, the body is more active Kale S. Skin hunger helps explain your desperate longing for human touch. Wired produces the hormone oxytocin. A similar process occurs, for example, during sex. Oxytocin promotes feelings of trust and affection, and may also Effects of a 10‑day oxytocin trial in older adults on health and well‑being. Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology slow down aging.
Recommended by Sharkey L. What Does It Mean to Be Touched Starved? Healthline hug for at least 20 seconds a day - this is when the production of oxytocin begins.
Another important effect of touch is a decrease in levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. In couples who have more physical contact, experts from Zurich recorded Ditzen B., Hoppmann C., Klumb P. Positive couple interactions and daily cortisol: on the stress‑protecting role of intimacy. Psychosomatic medicine lower cortisol levels.
Tactile sensations are especially important Sharkey L. What Does It Mean to Be Touch Starved? Healthline at an early age. Being in a mother's arms forms Cassata C. How Touching Your Partner Can Make Both of You Healthier. Healthline the baby has a feeling of security and affection. Touching and hugging, in addition to releasing oxytocin, stimulates the production of serotonin and dopamine in children - natural antidepressants. Bodily contact can also influence the development of the vagus Field T., Diego M. Vagal activity, early growth and emotional development. Infant behavior & development of the nerve and oxytocin production system Uvnäs-Moberg K., Handlin L., Petersson, M. Self-soothing behaviors with particular reference to oxytocin release induced by non-noxious sensory stimulation. Frontiers in psychology in general. This helps children build healthy relationships in the future, rather than trying to fulfill their need for tactile contact through fighting.
They calm you down
Touch decreases Mackay N., Hansen S., McFarlane O. Autonomic nervous system changes during Reiki treatment: a preliminary study. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine heart rate and blood pressure. Coupled with changes in hormone levels in the body, this gives Does Hugging Provide Stress-Buffering Social Support? A Study of Susceptibility to Upper Respiratory Infection and Illness. Psychological Science feeling of peace and tranquility.
Thus, scientists from Oxford, Nottingham and Liverpool established Stroking modulates noxious‑evoked brain activity in human infants. Current Biology that slowly stroking the inside of the forearm activates the "petting zone." This helps children tolerate pain more easily (for example, during medical procedures), and adults feel C‑tactile afferent stimulating touch carries a positive affective value. PLOS ONE care. Researchers have even determined the ideal pace for such stroking: 3-5 centimeters Sharkey L. What Does It Mean to Be Touch Starved? Healthline per second.
The most “high-quality” bodily contacts occur Park W. Why human touch is so hard to replace. BBC Future, when there is a positive emotional connection between people. However, experts from London established von Mohr M., Kirsch LP, Fotopoulou A. The soothing function of touch: affective touch reduces feelings of social exclusion. Scientific Reports that gentle touch reduces feelings of loneliness, even when coming from a stranger. It was for this purpose that in 2004, Australian Juan Mann took to the street with a sign that read “Free Hugs.” This is how an international movement of the same name appeared, whose participants offer hugs to strangers.
Free Hugs campaign video set to music by Australian band Sick Puppies
They have a beneficial effect on health and immunity
All of the above body reactions have a positive effect on our health. For example, reducing cortisol levels makes the immune system stronger, since cortisol destroys Ditzen B., Hoppmann C., Klumb P. Positive couple interactions and daily cortisol: on the stress‑protecting role of intimacy. Psychosomatic medicine antiviral cells leukocytes.
Skin-to-skin contact helps increase white blood cell levels, even in patients with cancer or HIV infection, and is also easier Therapeutic touch for nausea in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: Composing a treatment. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice reschedule chemotherapy sessions.
And more measured heart function and optimal blood pressure reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Pseudounipolar bipolar neurons
Within each somatosensory pathway, there are three types of neurons: pseudounipolar (associative), secondary afferents, and tertiary afferents. Some of them allow a person to react more slowly to stimuli, others to be more receptive. For example, scientists have calculated that the speed of transmission of nervous behavior (impulse) can reach 90 m/sec.
Skin sensitivity differs in different parts of the body. For example, on the thigh or shoulder it is lower (the number of receptors is 1 mg/mm2), while on the tip of the finger there are 2 times more. Adaptation of the skin also varies due to these neurons; it can be long-term (for pain) or almost instantaneous.
An example of the rapidly adapting tactile sense used is putting on clothing. At first you will feel it on you, but after a while you will forget that you are wearing it. The brain's focus is not on the sensation of the clothes on your body, but if you were to concentrate on that feeling, you could instantly feel the contact between your skin and the things you are wearing.
Why a lack of skin-to-skin contact is bad
Lack of regular touch can Floyd K. Relational and Health Correlates of Affection Deprivation. Western Journal of Communication have serious and long-lasting consequences.
People experiencing touch hunger grow Sharkey L. What Does It Mean to Be Touch Starved? Healthline level of anxiety, increased tendency to depression (and this also works in the opposite direction: the feeling of a lack of touch can be a consequence of depression). They feel Floyd K. What Lack of Affection Can Do to You. Psychology Today feel unhappy and unnecessary, and are more likely to suffer from alexithymia - the inability to express and interpret emotions. Also, tactile hunger can Kale S. Skin hunger helps explain your desperate longing for human touch. Wired to be one of the causes of sleep problems.
Also, due to lack of touching, Sharkey L. What Does It Mean to Be Touch Starved? Healthline develop a reluctance to form an attachment to someone - accordingly, a person’s chances of building a happy relationship decrease.
People with this condition are more likely to engage in substance abuse and to think about self-harm or suicide.
Lack of touch starts a “chain reaction” and can lead to Pierce S. Touch starvation is a consequence of COVID‑19's physical distancing. Texas Medical Center News to a whole cascade of negative Pietromonaco PR, Collins NL Interpersonal mechanisms linking close relationships to health. The American psychologist health consequences - from greater susceptibility to acute respiratory viral infections to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Stress caused by cortisol production literally destroys Cassata C. How Touching Your Partner Can Make Both of You Healthier. Healthline our body.
Definition of the concept
The transfer of information occurs using touch. This is a specific way of communicating through direct physical contact with another person. Tactile data comes to the brain from sensory receptors located in the muscles and joints. In this way, a person receives information about the position of the body in space, the outside world.
Tactile communication is one of the ways of communication. This is visual or non-verbal contact. With the help of tactile communication, a person attracts attention, establishes a connection, expresses an attitude towards a partner, and demonstrates negative emotions. Tactile communication and the norms that are associated with it depend on the culture of the area.
In terms of its meaning, touch can be ritual, playful, sexual, friendly, as well as intentional and accidental. Tactile communication complements visual and verbal communication.
How to tell if you're touch-starved
Tactile hunger is easy to confuse with depression - often people don’t even realize that they are experiencing it. There is no definitive way to determine a lack of touch. In the most general terms, it is indicated by Sharkey L. What Does It Mean to Be Touch Starved? Healthline feeling extremely lonely or unattached.
Symptoms of tactile hunger can be combined with the following manifestations:
- feeling depressed;
- stress and anxiety;
- dissatisfaction in relationships;
- sleep problems;
- a tendency to act rashly.
Often people who are touch starved try Sharkey L. What Does It Mean to Be Touch Starved? Healthline imitate them: lie in a hot bath for a long time, wrap yourself in blankets and hug a pillow, and show excessive affection to animals.
Who is a kinesthetic learner?
Kinesthetics differs from auditory, visual and digital in that it attaches great importance to the sensations obtained through the work of analyzing systems. A kinesthetic person, when talking about an event, relies on what emotions and feelings this incident caused in him. He is extremely sensitive to facial expressions and tactile sensations, and his main way of getting to know the world is through touch.
The importance of taxis
A kinesthetic has nothing in common with a film aesthete. Film connoisseurs can have absolutely any psychotype.
