STUDY FINDS THAT TOUCH CAN ALLEVIATE PAIN, DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY

The sensation of touch, whether through a friend's hug or the pressure of a weighted blanket, is believed to offer both physical and mental health benefits, according to researchers.

Touch, the earliest sense to develop in humans, plays a vital role in how we perceive our surroundings and communicate. The lack of physical contact experienced by many during the COVID-19 pandemic underscored its importance.

Despite numerous studies indicating the health advantages of touch, there has been limited effort to consolidate this extensive body of research.

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Recently, specialists have synthesized these findings, delivering a straightforward conclusion: touch is beneficial.

Dr Helena Hartmann, one of the study's contributors from University Hospital Essen, mentioned that incorporating a more consensual touch into our daily routines could help reduce or even prevent various mental and physical health issues.

The study, appearing in Nature Human Behaviour, analyzed 212 previously published pieces of research, including a statistical review of 85 adult studies and 52 studies on newborns.

The findings highlighted that touch is equally important for mental and physical health across both adults and newborns, though its effects vary across different areas.

Researchers noted that touch-based interventions are particularly effective in alleviating pain, depression, and anxiety in adults and children, and also promote weight gain in newborns.

Interestingly, the study found that the physical health benefits from being touched by other humans were comparable to those gained from contact with objects like social robots or weighted blankets.

Hartmann found it unexpected that objects could mimic the health benefits of human touch. She suggested that further research into how weighted blankets or social robots could enhance well-being, especially in situations where human contact is limited like during the Covid-19 pandemic, is necessary.

However, the boost to mental health was more significant with human touch compared to object touch, possibly due to the skin-to-skin contact involved.

The research also uncovered that touch benefits both healthy individuals and those experiencing illness, with a more pronounced impact on mental health observed in the latter group.

It was discovered that the specific nature or length of touch did not significantly matter, but a higher frequency of touch led to increased benefits for adults. Additionally, a touch on the head yielded more substantial health advantages compared to other body areas.

However, the researchers warned against potential false positives within their findings and noted the uncertain applicability of these results across different cultural contexts.

Dr Mariana von Mohr of Royal Holloway, University of London, who did not participate in the study, suggested that if future robots could better mimic the texture and warmth of human skin, they might offer mental health benefits akin to those of human touch.

She explained that our skin is equipped with specialized sensors attuned to gentle caresses and warmth similar to human skin temperature, both of which play a crucial role in managing emotions.

Prof Katerina Fotopoulou, from University College London, described the research as providing an overarching perspective on how touch interventions positively impact health.

Prof Katerina Fotopoulou from University College London emphasized that while the study highlights the general health benefits of touch, it doesn't pinpoint which specific types of touch lead to particular health improvements.

Dr Susannah Walker from Liverpool John Moores University concurred, pointing out the limitations due to the small scale of many studies under review and the diversity in types of touch and outcome measures used. She mentioned these factors make it challenging to ascertain the exact reasons behind the effectiveness of touch.

Fotopoulou also mentioned the potential of this research to inspire further studies in the field, including the integration of touch with other treatment forms.

She reflected on the historical oversight in favouring verbal therapies over touch or other bodily therapies in recent centuries. Fotopoulou believes this review lays a solid foundation for rebalancing this disparity through more in-depth, focused research on touch interventions.

2024-04-09T16:56:39Z dg43tfdfdgfd