Reaching out to others is getting harder and harder. We seem to live in a society that is afraid of contact, we are increasingly related through devices and screens and less by physical, real, face-to-face, skin-to-skin contact, with this we lose the benefits of touch.
This change raises important questions about mental health and social relations, we have long known that touching others and being touched is critical, so much so that the European Institute of Perinatal Mental Health has highlighted cases of babies dying from lack of contact.
“Heal the soul by the senses and senses for the soul!?- Oscar Wilde-
Dr. David J. Linden, author of Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind, says that touch is also critical to the development of intelligence and cognitive skills. .
There are many powerful reasons to touch others and allow them to touch us. Here are some of the biggest benefits of touch.
We communicate with others through different forms and languages, however, one of the forms that has the most impact on communication is precisely touch.
Thanks to this, it is possible to achieve 78% more efficiency in the transmission of emotions, according to a study by the psychologist Matther Hertenstein.
It is important to note that by touching others, we not only reinforce the messages we want to communicate, but we can also express more accurately and intensely what we feel. A hug has much more impact than an “count on me. “
The skin has several receptors that connect directly to the brain. Science has shown that when someone receives friendly contact, the brain reduces the production of cortisol, the stress hormone, which in turn strengthens the immune system.
Massage has also been shown to be a more effective way to reduce migraine in women than painkillers. Apparently, touch signals reach the brain before the pain signals.
Touching others is a way to establish a more authentic connection with others, people tend to perceive as more honest and affable those who give a soft touch on their forearm, and are also more willing to cooperate with them.
Similarly, touching others is a sign of self-confidence and power; others tend to consider superior to those who have constant physical contact with them, but this superiority is experienced as close and reliable.
An important part of the attraction comes from skin-to-skin contact, this contact causes the barriers between two people to begin to dissolve and establish a certain complicity between them, increasing confidence at the same time.
Loving, tender caresses touch people. This leads them to be more receptive and thus facilitate seduction. Research has shown that contact between people who could potentially be a couple increases heart rate and awakens desire.
A study on the influence of touch on performance was conducted in the United States, a group of volunteers was selected and subdivided; one subgroup received two massages per week, while the other group did not have this stimulus.
After a month, everyone took a math test, those who received the massage got better results, similarly, sports teams are more successful if their members hug or clap when they get a partial victory.
Physical contact is also intimately linked to the production of oxytocin in the brain, a substance that increases the feeling of well-being and happiness, so in human relationships, and especially in couples, touch plays an important role in mutual well-being. .
One of the signs that a couple is happy is related to the amount of physical contact they have, caresses and physical caresses help nurture love and, as a result, the bond becomes more intense and deep.
To show that touching others increases the ability to persuasive, you can do a little experiment. Ask someone to lend you a pencil without physical contact with that person.
Then do the same, but lightly touching the top of your arm. Repeat several times and draw your own conclusions.
Touching others is a way to have a greater influence on them, which translates into a greater capacity for persuasion, a point related to the openness that physical contact provides.
As you can see, touch has many advantages. Perhaps it’s time to stop using so many electronic devices to connect with people and regain that deep, secret value that exists in the contact.