The Importance of Non-sexual Touches in Relationships With Others

We have 5 million tactile receptors on the skin, of which 3,000 in just one finger, so a handshake or a hug has an essential role on the body and mind.

Over time, people have developed complex ways of communicating, most of which have developed under the umbrella of a variety of languages ​​and cultures.

However, they became more and more distant from each other. Intimacy, as it is now understood, no longer corresponds to the same characteristics of the past.

If a few decades ago, through intimacy, we expressed in most situations, physical closeness, now we choose to be intimate at a distance: we fall in love and break up online, we confess on the internet to people with whom we spoke only a few days, we give up on visits with loved ones because we can see each other online.

In short, we like to think that we are breaking down the barriers of physical distance, but we are left-handed when we feel the presence of another person in our immediate vicinity.

If in the case of intimate relationships we manage a little, when it comes to non-sexual touching, things are getting worse.

This is because we live in a society that avoids contact at all costs.

Try to do a simple exercise and think about how many times you touched someone today.

How many times have you been touched? How awkward do you feel when you're on the bus and it's so crowded that you can't say no to a group hug? How out of place do you feel when someone touches your hand, even when they do it involuntarily?

And to end the questions and better understand the importance of touching, think about how hard it is for you to hug a person with whom you have no connection, or whom you have an aversion.

Sincere hugs are so special because they have a special emotional charge. Even if sometimes you can go for a long time without thinking about the need for affection, on a subconscious level, things move forward, so that in time, you may face depression, anxiety, and lack of performance on all other levels.

Here's why you need to pay more attention to the touches from now on:

Touching is a way to connect with others.

As social beings, even if we are introverted or extroverted, we feel the need to connect with the other members of the groups we belong to.

If most of the interaction takes place verbally, non-verbal language and touch play an important role as well.

It is not uncommon to receive more open criticism or bad news when the person initiates tactile contact, whether it is a handshake or a slap on the shoulder.

Touching reduces blood pressure and helps us get rid of anxiety.

A simple hug can help to balance the blood pressure values ​​and implicitly to regulate the heartbeat. The same beneficial effect has the caress of the pet.

At the same time, healing, in case of illness, is much faster when the patient benefits from the affection of those close to him.

In the case of anxiety, a simple hug at the right time can make us feel safe, regardless of age.

During a hug, the level of cortisol in the blood drops and there is a significant release of oxytocin, known as the love hormone.

Touching satisfies an important part of the sensory need that the body feels.

No matter how much technology evolves, one thing is certain: massage therapy will continue to be done by humans, not robots.

In addition to the benefit to the muscles through this technique, the tactile contact between the therapist and the patient has an essential role in managing the energy network that circulates in both bodies.

That is why it is said that for a massage to be truly effective, the therapist must be able to connect with the person with whom he interacts. Giving a massage is a gift, which is why the psychic consumption of therapists is significant.

In recent years, more and more meditation or yoga workshops have appeared, held in isolated spaces, in smaller or larger groups.

Usually, the people who choose to be part of such camps are those who have a hard time accepting social norms and need a reconnection with themselves and others.

In other sessions, non-verbal techniques, working with one's own body, and tactile sensations are often the basic elements used, precisely because they are the ones we miss the most in our daily life.