The Power of a Gentle Touch
The power of a gentle touch to overcome psychological or emotional hardship is not to be underestimated. When we feel socially excluded or rejected, a slow and affectionate touch has a demonstrable affect on our psychological state to bring us back into a more positive condition of well-being. Through gentle touch, we can also enhance relations with others and increase social bonding.
Source
In days of old, the sphere of social interaction was limited to physical interactions with others. But in our modern times with digital and virtual communication, the ability to be affected by social human relations is amplified in some ways, both positive and negative. We also forget and are separated from the power of touch as a way to heal feelings of social exclusion.
A study published by Scientific Reports in 2017, shows that the power of a slow and gentle stroke can reduce feelings of being excluded after we are rejected in a social situation. The gentle stroke doesn't need to be done by someone we know to have the positive affect: any stranger can help soothe the painful experience of being rejected or ostracized.
A social exclusion experiment was conducted with 84 women, where they would play a ball-tossing game, and answer questions about feelings of belonging, self-esteem, meaningful existence and control. These are questions related to needs that are threatened by ostracism. After a 10 minute break, the other player they are ball-tossing with, stops throwing them balls after a few tosses. This creates a feeling of being excluded, and therefore rejected as well. The women were then blindfolded, and had their left forearms touched with a soft brush at a slow or fast speed. The same questionnaire was given.
Participants reported feeling less negative and less socially excluded when touched at a slow speed. The slow speed of touch is felt as gentle, whereas the fast speed is more neutral, lacking that gentleness and the positive physiological response. Despite the soft gentle touch, feelings of exclusion, rejection and ostracism were not completely eliminated.
How much can a gentle touch and stroking of the skin affect us positively at a psychological level? The recent findings indicate affective touch by gentle stroking of the skin is linked to the brain through a specially coded aspect of our physiological system. The specific neurophysiological mechanisms involved are not yet demonstrated. Modifying the experiment through skin-on-skin contact, the social context, and temperature variation, could indicate more or less effective methods of positive affect from touch. Other studies have shown that the presence of friends, teddy bears and even supportive text messages can buffer the negative effect of ostracism.
Humans as well as other mammals, being social animals, are recognized to have needs for closeness and attachment. Providing a social support system reduces the negative emotional responses to feeling socially excluded. We have all probably seen this demonstrated in our lives in various ways to some degree.
This experiment demonstrated this affect on our psychological states through something as simple as a slow gentle touch. Nothing needed to be said to the participants who experienced negative feeling, and no visual information was needed (since they were blindfolded). Touch can produce effects on alleviating physical pain in addition to psychological pain.
The role of touch is important to consider in mental and physical care conditions. A little touch can go a long way to help people feel included, and aid in the recovery of negative physical or psychological experiences.
- Have you experienced something similar, where a simple touch changed how you felt?
- Have you touched someone gently and seen how their negative state changed to be more positive?
- Or have you also felt or seen the opposite, where a gentle touch was unwelcome and produced more negative feelings?
Let me know what you think. Have your say!
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This post brings tears of recognition to my eyes...PROFOUND!! It brings back memories of an experiment (and I hate animal experiments) where they gave a tiny monkey two "mothers" one gave him only food, it was made of metal. The other was made of a very soft material. They would periodically SCARE the monkey by crazy sounds and lights, the monkey would always go to the soft mother to 'touch and be touched' when he was scared. The food mother was ignored. I cried and cried when I saw that...
Touch, especially a slow and gentle one says more than words ever could, to me! Just goes to show that empathy is a language that we all can speak. Inclusion, acceptance, closeness, attachment are very high up in the human needs list, we need them to thrive.
I am resteeming this. We don't need to be psychologists or expert listeners to help others heal...it can be so simple, as a gentle touch. Holding space...thank you so much Krnel.
Indeed, this is demonstrable in existence if we interact with others, human or non-human animals share much in common. We don't need experts to demonstrate it to some of us, but many people don't have this knowledge or have it recognized in reality. Animals have their own live and freedom, and should be free from our harm in all respects because we don't need to use, exploit, enslave, or kill them for us to live/survive anymore. We can evolve to more moral living and consciousness, to rise above a focus on survival mindsets and justifications. Survival never determines what is moral. Thanks for the feedback :)
This comment of yours was even more greater than the post itself. I remember the exp. in another exp, they built the soft mother ugly, and the rigid and metalic one so beatiful. the young monkey still prefered the soft one despite being ugly, setting aside considering no value to its food-giving-feature.
also, power of touch is soo strong and influencing as the power of looks are. when we look into someone's eyes, words get more powerful, love gets more deep, and emotions burst out. unfortunately chats and social medias are causing us to get used to "not touch" and "not look" at eachother and dedicate our emotions in some emojis and digital writings.
I don't like it at all.
I always said, I hate my thumbs, as they keep us apart...
thank you for this great post @lyndsaybowes
Ohh my! That’s a sad experiment 😕 but very interesting!
Even though I’m a guy, I admit that a touch from someone who cares does indeed make a difference. I think touch even works between people and pets. Well written blog and I think I’ll follow.
Yes, human and non-human animals all have a psychological dimension, with mammals being the closest to certain capacities in consciousness like affection. It does apply to mammals as it can be demonstrated, not just domesticate animal companions. Thanks for the feedback.
Stress can reduce the immune system's defense by 50%. I believe if we touched other we would not only be better and nourished emotionally and psychologically. But we would be physically healthier and less sick as a people. Thanks @krnel
Yup, that makes sense :) Thanks for the feedback.
Wow, amazing... I knew that with only one touch the body could have very interesting anwsers, but is the first time I hear this one. The human body and the way it connects with the mind is something so spectacular... unbelievable sometimes. Anyways, great post @krnel ! Greetings from Venezuela :) Upvoted!
Yes mind and body, and body and mind, a feedback of affect :) Thanks for the feedback.
Interesting, I've been taking a lot more care with the way I touch. Almost like I'm reading the other person, or dog, or whatever to see how they feel and how they react. Even if I'm massaging some tough knots, starting gently and soft always helps and you can build pressure or friction from there.
This article seems out of nowhere, really fascinating!
with a gentle touch and struggling and learning together for the sake of success will lead us to a better path and help each other, that is the key to success in steemit, greeting friendship for you all ...
I agree we just need more love in this big ol world of crazy going around us! A simple hug can change a persons day!! ❤️
Yup :)
In my experience a gentle touch cause positive feelings, I felt filled with love.
A gentle touch goes a long way & may help someone in the moment & also may be remembered years later!
Indeed. Thanks for the feedback.
God has given us physical bodies. They need rest, refreshment and touch. Affection settles crying babies, it stimulates their minds and brain waves, it causes very sick people to get better.
Sometimes when I am exhausted or drained, I really don't need anyone to settle my problems or bring answers. I just need sleep or rest. But I also think there is a healing power to touch and affection.