The effect of human touch on your mental health

A firm handshake, a warm hug, or a pat on your back: human touch is very important. People already experience the first feeling of touch in the womb. Human touch is extremely important to a child’s development. What is the effect of human touch on your mental health and what happens if you’re barely touched or not at all? And can you do something about it yourself? 

Human touch: important to development

Like animals, people have a need for being touched. It’s actually one of our greatest needs. There is a reason babies tend to calm down when their parents hug them. Ashley Montagu, anthropologist, says this about it: “Touch isn’t experienced as a physical thing, a sensation, but as emotion.” This is because our skin contains receptors that trigger an emotional reaction. The skin is part of one of our five senses, responsible for our ability to experience touch. This is the only sense that doesn’t deteriorate when we get older. According to neuroscientist Saul Schanberg, one touch is “ten times stronger than verbal or emotional contact. If touching wouldn’t feel good, we wouldn’t exist. A mother wouldn’t touch her baby if it didn’t feel good. People wouldn’t have sex if it didn’t feel good. We would cease to exist.” In case of premature birth, skin-to-skin contact can even help babies gain weight and be released from hospital sooner.

Mental effects of human touch

When someone touches you, your brain releases the hormone oxytocin, also known as the love hormone. Oxytocin helps people connect and it makes you feel happy. But that’s not all. It also has a positive influence on your mental health. Besides the release of oxytocin, human touch also leads to a decrease of dopamine and serotonin levels. These neurotransmitters are responsible for communication in the brain. Dopamine makes you feel happy and satisfied. Serotonin influences your mood, confidence, and emotions.

Reduction of stress and anxiety

Together with oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine make sure your stress and (social) anxiety levels decrease. So a hug is not just comforting, but also healing. Research shows that breast cancer patients create more dopamine and serotonin during massage therapy. Women who participated in the research felt less afraid, less depressed, and less angry. Dr. Jon Reeves, clinical psychologist in Washington, says: “Touch is our first language and one of our basic needs. Being touched by someone you know and love can decrease anxiety and create the feeling of happiness without having to do anything yourself.”

More trust and positivity

Oxytocin also leads to a positive outlook and optimistic thinking. Additionally, it makes people feel more compassionate and even increases trust between people.

Positive effects on your physical health

Besides benefitting your mental health, human touch also has positive effects on your physical health. It positively influences your immune system and has a positive effect on heart and blood relates issues. Research shows that women who are hugged often by their partner have a lower blood pressure and heart rate.

What if nobody touches you?

Dr. Tiffany Field is director of the Touch Research Institute of the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. She researches the effect of human touch. “People need to be touched. Lonely people can literally perish if they don’t get touched. It can cause depression and weaken the immune system. A positive touch can decrease the effect of stress hormones like cortisol, which weaken the immune system.” Research by Field shows that children who don’t get hugged, cradled, or held grow up to be more aggressive than children who do get hugged. There is also an increased chance they will develop depression or other mental health issues at a later age. This is common in children who are neglected or who grow up in orphanages.

Lack of touch during lockdown

A lack of physical contact is also called ‘skin hunger’. During the coronavirus crisis, everyone has to keep their distance from each other. Psychologists and other experts warn us about the consequences of the lack of human touch. People who live alone are truly alone during lockdown. At the moment, dr. Anouk Keizer, experimental psychologist at the Universiteit of Utrecht, researches the effect of social distancing on our health. Before the coronavirus crisis, research was conducted regarding the so-called crisis of touch, which concluded that mainly Western culture shies away from touch. This mostly applies to Western men, who barely touch each other.

Can you prevent skin hunger yourself?

At lonely moments, you can touch yourself to reduce your skin hunger. This doesn’t have to be in a sexual way at all, but you can if you want to of course. The most important thing is to connect to your body. You can do this by rubbing body lotion all over your body for example. Or by taking a warm shower and consciously following the water touching your body with your mind. Masturbating is also good for your mental health: an orgasm releases those happiness hormones and you’re in complete control of it. Finally, hugging your pet also helps release oxytocin. It’s not the same as a nice hug from your friend or parent, but it’s definitely better than nothing.