Seven Surprising Benefits Of Touching Each Other
Touching each other has become increasingly difficult in recent years. It seems as if we live in a society that is afraid of any form of contact. We are increasingly interacting with each other through devices and screens. It happens less through physical, real, personal and skin-to-skin contact.
This opens up important questions about mental health and social relationships. We have long known that it is essential to touch and be touched by others.
It is so vital that the European Institute of Perinatal Mental Healt has stated that babies can die from lack of physical contact.
dr. David J. Linden is the author of Touch: The Science of The Hand, Heart and Mind. He points out that touch is also fundamental for the development of intelligence and cognitive abilities. Touching others and allowing them to touch us is indeed beneficial in many ways. Discover some of these benefits in this article.
The benefits of touching each other
1. Touching each other makes communication easier
We communicate with each other through different channels and languages. However, one of the means that most influences communication is touch. By using physical contact we even achieve up to 78% more effectiveness in conveying emotions. That is what a study by the psychologist Matthew Hertenstein shows.
It is important to note that touching others does not only reinforce the messages we want to convey. However, we also manage to express what we feel with greater precision and intensity. A hug has much more impact than simply saying “you can count on me.”
2. It improves physical and mental health
Our skin contains multiple receptors that are directly connected to the brain. Science has proven that the brain reduces the production of cortisol when we receive a friendly touch or caress. Cortisol is the stress hormone. In turn, this effect also stimulates the immune system.
It has also been established that massages are much more effective than painkillers in reducing migraines in women. Apparently, the touch signals reach the brain before the pain signals.
3. Touching each other makes relationships better
Touching others is also a means of creating a more genuine connection with other people. People often perceive someone who touches their upper arm as more honest and friendly. They are therefore more willing to work with them.
Touching others is also a sign of confidence and strength. Others often find people who have constant physical contact with them superior. However, that superiority is seen as close and reliable.
4. It increases the power of seduction
An important part of attraction comes from skin to skin contact. Those contacts help us to remove the barriers between two people. It brings them together and increases trust.
Loving and tender caresses make people more sensitive to each other. This makes them more receptive. It also makes it easier to seduce them. Touch can raise the heart rate and arouse desire in potential partners.
5. It boosts performance
In the United States, a study has been conducted into the influence of touch on performance. The researchers selected a group of volunteers and divided them into groups. One of the subgroups received two massages per week, while the other group did not receive this stimulus.
After one month, the participants performed a math test. Everyone who had received massages scored better. It was also found that the sports teams were more successful when their team members hugged or had hand contact during training and matches.
6. It creates stronger sentimental ties
In addition, physical contact is closely linked to the production of oxytocin in the brain. This substance increases the feeling of well-being and happiness. That is also why touch plays an important role in human relationships and especially in couples to feel good about each other.
One of the signals that a couple is happy is intrinsically related to the amount of physical contact they have. Caresses and physical indulgences help to nurture love and strengthen the bond.
7. Touching each other helps to convince
As for persuasion, you can do a little experiment. Ask someone to lend you a pencil without making physical contact with that person. Then do it again but lightly touch the top of the other’s arm. Repeat this several times with different people and objects. Then draw your own conclusions.
It has been discovered that touching others is a way of exerting more influence on them. This allows you to possess a greater power of persuasion. And again this is directly related to physical contact.
As you can see, it is beneficial to touch others and allow them to touch you. Maybe it’s time to stop using so many devices to interact with people. So rediscover the power and value of physical contact.
