The one underrated factor of health

Which of your senses would you be least willing to give up? Lots of people say sight; they cover their eyes and shudder at the thought of never seeing again. Or maybe you chose sound; you might plug your ears and hate the idea of never hearing a human voice again. But one sense that often flies under the radar is touch. So how important really is touch?It’s hard for us to imagine what being deprived of touch would be like because it is so instilled in us. Touch is the first of the senses to develop in an infant – in fact; the sense of touch begins to develop even while a baby is still in the womb.Mothers can attest to the giddiness that often comes from feeling their baby move inside of their bellies however research has begun suggesting that even the baby may respond to their mothers touch (e.g. mothers placing their hands on their abdomen). While we can temporarily mimic the effects of losing our other senses, most of us can’t even imagine what it would be like to not experience touch.Growing bodies of research are consistently finding that touch is essential to both our physical and mental health. Orphaned infants, for example, who were exposed to very limited physical contact from others often, demonstrated impaired growth and cognitive development. They also had an increased chance of developing infections and attachment disorders later on in life.In one experiment, touch has even been shown to improve the immune system of people who had been exposed to the common cold. A group of over four hundred adults were asked about their social interactions and how many hugs they had received over the course of each day for approximately two weeks. They were then exposed to a cold virus and had their symptoms monitored. The people who reported experiencing more hug, touch and positive social interaction showed fewer symptoms and battled the infection more effectively than those who hadn’t.Not only does touch have an effect on physical health, but it can also have an impact on mental health in a number of ways – one of the most central being on our stress levels. A team of researchers analysed stress levels among people giving a presentation. When a participant received a hug from their mother after the presentation, they exhibited decreased cortisol levels (our stress hormone) compared to those who didn’t. Seeing as cortisol has been linked to a range of other problematic symptoms including depression, anxiety and even weight gain – it seems that touch may be something worth considering in lowering the influx of this hormone.We often take touch for granted, but it seems that it is not only important but vital to our overall physical and mental wellbeing. So next time you are feeling a little down, or stressed … or even a little sick it might be a good idea to hug a friend, family member or partner; you may just find yourself feeling a lot better.