The Psychology of Touch

From the moment we are born, we crave human touch. We could not exist without this most basic human need everyone desires. Touch can be conveyed in many different ways and at many different levels. From a simple handshake, to a gentle caress to an intimate embrace, there are many different ways that people perceive and experience touch

Research shows that a hug from a loved one can lower your blood pressure and increase your sense of well-being. A handshake with a colleague can create a connection and even an aggressive or painful touch can provide us with information about our environment to cause discomfort, rather than reassurance. Touch is a vital way in which we understand our world around us. It can affect us physiologically, emotionally, psychologically and intellectually. Touch is the most primitive of all sensations and the only one of the five senses that involves the whole body.