There are a number of good reasons that touching, hugging, and kissing the people we love feels comforting and reassuring. In this Spotlight, we will explore how such displays of affection impact your health and well-being.
When we touch, hug, or kiss a friend or partner, that gesture is loaded with meaning. We seek affection, try to establish a connection, or attempt to communicate a need.
Various cultures use touch in various ways to display tenderness or respect, and other non-human primates use it to create a connection and establish social hierarchies.
Recently, however, some experts have expressed concern that Western societies are experiencing a moment of crisis, as physical touch becomes more strictly regulated and we are less and less likely to engage in social acts such as hugging.
Of course, physical touch is not always welcome and not always appropriate. Between strangers, it can be an act of violation.
As researchers from Finland noted in a study paper published last year, whether touch produces a positive or a negative effect is highly dependent on the context in which it occurs.
“Touch does not universally lead to positive emotions,” they explain. For instance, they note that “cultural differences can result in touch being construed as a breach of preferred interpersonal distance.”
At the same time, research has also found that touch is important for humans when it comes to communicating emotions and maintaining relationships — both romantic and otherwise.
In this Spotlight feature, we will look at the importance and benefits of touching, hugging, and kissing for a person’s health and well-being.
Why touch is so important
Famous studies have demonstrated that children — as well as the infants of non-human primates — who grow up without affective touch have severe developmental issues and are unable to relate socially.
Touch is a vital social cue, signaling an offer of comfort and empathy.
Touching, and being touched, activate particular areas of our brain, thus influencing our thought processes, reactions, and even physiological responses.
For example, one study reports that brain scans have revealed that affective touch activates the orbitofrontal cortex, a brain region associated with learning and decision-making as well as with emotional and social behaviors.
Certain experiments have also suggested that romantic kissing is an important tool — particularly for women — when it comes to choosing a partner, because the personalized chemical cocktail found in an individual’s saliva conveys important information to the brain about their physiological compatibility.
Touch can also be reassuring and calming for a person in distress, since it can communicate an offer of support and empathy.
A study from Sweden — the findings of which were published last year in the journal Research on Language and Social Interaction — found that embracing and patting children in distress has a soothing effect for them.
In such a circumstance, the study authors explain, the interaction involves the adult signaling that they are available to offer soothing contact, followed by the child’s acknowledgement of this invitation and positive response to it.
The interaction and coordination involved with this scenario allow the child in distress to regain a sense of security and reassurance.
As a result of this, there are also many debates surrounding the use of touch during counseling, mainly asking whether the potential benefits outweigh the ethical perils.
Scientists recognize that touch has valuable therapeutic potential and that some people might benefit from receiving a reassuring pat on the shoulder when they are feeling down.
Psychological benefits
In fact, we seek to receive and give hugs to people we love precisely because they trigger a neural pattern of comfort and affection.
Studies have shown that sharing a hug can remove existential anxiety.A study found that women who offered physical touch as a symbol of support to their partners showed higher activity in the ventral striatum, which is a brain area involved in the reward system.
So, offering a reassuring hug to a person who is in pain or feeling down can actually benefit both the receiver and the giver; both people involved in the interaction experience more positive emotions and feel more strongly connected to each other.
Moreover, a series of studies conducted by Dutch researchers showed that hugging could relieve a person’s feelings of existential fear and remove self-doubt.
“Even fleeting and seemingly trivial instances of interpersonal touch may help people to deal more effectively with existential concern,” says researcher Sander Koole, from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
“Our findings show that even touching an inanimate object — such as a teddy bear — can soothe existential fears. Interpersonal touch is such a powerful mechanism that even objects that simulate touch by another person may help to instill in people a sense of existential significance.”
Sander Koole
Other research has revealed that sharing in the nonverbal communication of affection — which includes actions such as hugging and kissing — can buffer the effect of stress and accelerate recovery from it.
Benefits for health
The benefits of affective touch expand to measures of physical health as well as mental health and social relations.
One study published in 2014 in the journal Psychological Science suggested that the stress buffer provided by shared hugs actually has a protective effect against respiratory infections.
Also, among the people who did become ill, those who received emotional support in the form of affective touches showed less severe symptoms of infection.
Other studies showed that, in romantic couples where the partners share frequent hugs, women tend to have lower blood pressure and heart rates, which suggests that this type of contact can benefit the heart literally, not just metaphorically.
Romantic kisses also help boost the immune system, research has demonstrated. When we kiss, we transfer “80 million bacteria per intimate kiss of 10 [seconds],” scientists report.
This may sound disgusting, but it is beneficial; this microbial exchange acts almost like a vaccine, familiarizing the immune system with potential new bacterial threats and strengthening its effectiveness against a more varied array of pathogens.
Touch as a painkiller
Finally, touch is very effective when it comes to relieving physical pain. Massage therapies can be a great way of soothing all kinds of aches, from headaches to back pain.
Touching someone you love can actually soothe physical pain.
However, you do not necessarily have to go to a massage parlour in order to experience the pain-soothing benefits of touch.
Holding hands with your partner will suffice, say two studies published in two consecutive years, both of which were covered on Medical News Today.
The first study — which appeared in the journal Scientific Reports in 2017 — showed that if two partners touch and one of them experiences mild pain, the touch actually diminishes the sensation of pain.
In the second study — featured earlier this year in the journal PNAS — the team observed the same effect in groups of young couples when they were holding hands.
“Our findings,” the study authors report, “indicate that hand holding during pain administration increases brain-to-brain coupling in a network that mainly involves the central regions of the pain target and the right hemisphere of the pain observer.”
Wherever we’re from, touch is likely an important marker of affection. In the eighteenth century, the famous English poet John Keats wrote, “Touch has a memory.” Research has now proven that this evocative poetic image has a scientific basis: touch does have a memory, as it turns out.
A study led by neuroscientists from the Charité — Universitätsmedizin Berlin in Germany has shownthat not only can our bodies remember touch, but they can also remember several different types of touch simultaneously.
“A new touch does not erase the memory of a previous touch from working memory,” explains that study’s lead researcher.
“Rather,” he goes on, “new and old tactile memories can persist independently of each another, once a person’s attention has registered the touches.”
It seems that touch has a more powerful impact on our brains and our bodies than we might have imagined, so it is important to be fully aware of how something as simple as a hug can alter our own, and others’, the perception of the world.
Article by: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323143.php
62 comments
Your style is so unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from. I appreciate you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this site.
Howdy! I could have sworn Iíve been to this web site before but after looking at many of the posts I realized itís new to me. Anyways, Iím definitely pleased I came across it and Iíll be bookmarking it and checking back frequently!
Your style is really unique compared to other people I have read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this blog.
You’ve made some really good points there. I looked on the internet for more information about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this site.
Title
[…]one of our visitors lately proposed the following website[…]
I used to be able to find good information from your articles.
hello!,I really like your writing very a lot! proportion we keep in touch extra approximately your post on AOL? I require an expert on this space to solve my problem. May be that is you! Looking forward to see you.
Iím amazed, I must say. Rarely do I encounter a blog thatís both educative and engaging, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The problem is something which not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I stumbled across this during my hunt for something relating to this.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this write-up and the rest of the site is very good.
Hello there, You have performed a great job. I will certainly digg it and individually suggest to my friends. I’m confident they’ll be benefited from this website.
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon everyday. It’s always helpful to read content from other writers and practice something from other sites.
Wonderful article! We will be linking to this particularly great article on our website. Keep up the great writing.
You should participate in a contest for probably the greatest blogs on the web. I’ll suggest this website!
My brother recommended I might like this blog. He was totally right. This post truly made my day. You can not imagine just how much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
Good web site you have here.. Itís hard to find good quality writing like yours these days. I honestly appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
After looking over a number of the blog posts on your website, I seriously like your way of writing a blog. I added it to my bookmark webpage list and will be checking back soon. Please visit my website as well and let me know what you think.
Thanks for another informative web site. Where else could I get that type of info written in such an ideal way? I have a project that I’m just now working on, and I’ve been on the look out for such information.
Generally I don’t read post on blogs, but I would like to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do it! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thanks, quite nice article.
Hi! I could have sworn Iíve been to your blog before but after browsing through some of the posts I realized itís new to me. Anyhow, Iím definitely happy I found it and Iíll be bookmarking it and checking back often!
I used to be able to find good info from your articles.
I could not resist commenting. Very well written!
Great site you have got here.. Itís hard to find high-quality writing like yours nowadays. I really appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
Hi, I do think this is a great web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will return once again since I book-marked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other people.
I’m very happy to uncover this page. I need to to thank you for your time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely loved every part of it and I have you book marked to see new information in your website.
Having read this I thought it was very informative. I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this information together. I once again find myself spending way too much time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a friend who had been conducting a little homework on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast because I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending the time to talk about this topic here on your website.
This site was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me. Cheers!
bookmarked!!, I really like your blog!
Hi, i think that i saw you visited my web site thus i came to “return the favor”.I’m attempting to find things to enhance
my website!I suppose its ok to use some of your ideas!!
An interesting discussion is worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you ought to publish more on this subject, it might not be a taboo matter but typically people do not talk about these topics. To the next! All the best!!
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon every day. It’s always exciting to read through content from other writers and practice something from other web sites.
I needed to thank you for this wonderful read!! I absolutely enjoyed every bit of it. I have got you book marked to look at new things you postÖ
Pretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Many thanks for supplying these details.
Great blog you’ve got here.. Itís difficult to find excellent writing like yours nowadays. I seriously appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
Spot on with this write-up, I really think this amazing site needs a great deal more attention. Iíll probably be returning to read through more, thanks for the information!
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this article! It’s the little changes that will make the greatest changes. Thanks for sharing!
After looking over a handful of the blog articles on your site, I seriously appreciate your technique of writing a blog. I bookmarked it to my bookmark webpage list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my website as well and tell me your opinion.
After all, what an excellent website and also interesting messages, I will submit inbound web link – book mark this web site? Regards, Viewers.
This is a topic that is near to my heart… Best wishes! Where are your contact details though?
Your style is so distinct compared to several other people. Thanks for publishing when you have the chance, Think I will certainly just make this bookmarked.2.
This site was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something which helped me. Kudos!
I was very pleased to discover this great site. I want to to thank you for ones time for this fantastic read!! I definitely appreciated every part of it and i also have you book marked to check out new stuff on your blog.
Itís hard to come by experienced people about this topic, however, you seem like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks
Pretty! This was a really remarkable blog post. Thanks for your supplied information.
Your style is very unique compared to other people I’ve read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this page.
I blog frequently and I really thank you for your content. The article has truly peaked my interest. I am going to take a note of your site and keep checking for new information about once per week. I opted in for your RSS feed as well.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this article plus the rest of the website is also very good.
Hi there! This article could not be written any better! Looking through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept talking about this. I’ll send this post to him. Pretty sure he’ll have a very good read. Many thanks for sharing!
Those are your own alright!. We at the very least require to obtain these individuals stealing images to start blogging! They most likely simply did a picture search and also ordered them. They look good though!
Everything is very open with a precise clarification of the issues. It was really informative. Your website is extremely helpful. Many thanks for sharing!
I would like to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in penning this website. I am hoping to see the same high-grade content from you in the future as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now 😉
You should take part in a contest for one of the best blogs online. I’m going to highly recommend this blog!
This is the perfect site for everyone who wants to find out about this topic. You know a whole lot its almost tough to argue with you (not that I really will need toÖHaHa). You definitely put a fresh spin on a subject that has been written about for decades. Excellent stuff, just wonderful!
Excellent site you have got here.. Itís difficult to find high-quality writing like yours nowadays. I really appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
I need to to thank you for this great read!! I absolutely enjoyed every bit of it. I have got you bookmarked to check out new things you postÖ
I’d like to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in writing this blog. I’m hoping to check out the same high-grade blog posts by you in the future as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own, personal blog now 😉
I needed to thank you for this good read!! I absolutely loved every little bit of it. I have got you book-marked to check out new things you postÖ
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon everyday. It’s always useful to read content from other authors and use something from other websites.
Howdy! This post couldnít be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I will forward this post to him. Fairly certain he’ll have a very good read. Thank you for sharing!
Iím impressed, I must say. Rarely do I encounter a blog thatís both equally educative and engaging, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is an issue that too few folks are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy I found this during my search for something regarding this.
Good info. Lucky me I discovered your blog by accident (stumbleupon). I’ve book-marked it for later!
Hi, I do think this is an excellent website. I stumbledupon it 😉 I’m going to revisit yet again since i have bookmarked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help others.