Touching news that will leave you touched
You only have to look at our use of language to see how highly we value being touched. “Oh, that was really touching”, communicates something profound that connected with you on a profound level. You also probably know how nice and comforting a gentle touch can be but according to new research the person who touches might be getting even more benefit than the person they touch.
The new research involved a series of studies which found that people consistently rate the skin of another person as being softer than their own. This was true even if the other person’s skin wasn’t actually softer than the skin of the person touching it.
People who touch experience reward is what makes touching something we are prepared to do, indeed want to do, and that is what makes touching the social glue that it is.
The fact that we always perceive other people’s skin as being softer than our own suggests that humans are motivated to bond socially via touch. The studies found that the sensation of softness from another person’s skin is strongest when the toucher employs slow, gentle stroking.
We know from earlier research that softness and smoothness stimulate parts of the brain involved in perceiving reward. So the illusion that other people are softer actually means that when you touch another person you get your own reward. We also know that touch does benefit the people being touched on a physical and mental level. In all then, the fact that people who touch experience reward is what makes touching something we are prepared to do, indeed want to do, and that is what makes touching the social glue that it is.
It seems certain in retrospect that when Jim Morrison sang, “touch me baby, touch me” he was thinking of the emotional benefits the “baby” in question would receive; wasn’t he?
