New research by BBC Radio 4 and the Wellcome collection has revealed positive attitudes towards touch are linked with greater wellbeing and lower levels of loneliness.
According to the global study of 40,000 people from 112 countries for Radio 4’s All In The Mind and the Wellcome Collection, nearly three quarters of people (72 per cent) reported a positive attitude to touch, while 43 per cent of adults felt that society does not enable us to touch enough.
The results of the study which were revealed last week in a special All in the Mind Radio 4 programme and report in The Times also found that people who do not like touch were more likely to find it difficult to form trusting relationships.
International expert and author on massage, healing and wellbeing and founder of The Aleksandrowicz System, Beata Aleksandrowicz commented on the findings of the study: “Touch is the first sense to develop and is still active even when sight or hearing is lost. It gives us a sense of reality.”
“It is scientifically proven that babies and children grow to be much healthier when they have had the chance to experience loving touch.”
“Through the power of touch we become aware of our physicality, and we also feel a deep sense of belonging.”
“Touch gives us probably the most deepest connection with another human being. It connects us deeply with each other – it has a healing power. We reach the core of our existence and communicate beyond language.”
“It brings comfort, reassures us that we are not alone, it gives us physical sensation of warmth, care, attention.”
Amanda Winwood Founder of the Made for Life Foundation and Cancer Touch Therapy added: "People who are going through cancer are used to touch…but not in the beautiful and nurturing sense. Often cancer treatment is intrusive and it is also very clinical. Many of the people who are living with cancer who we worked with to develop our training told us stories of how wonderful if was to be touched in a way that was gentle and relaxing."
"It reconnected them with who they were. One woman said “it made me realise that my body wasn’t something just to be treated for cancer, I was worthy of touch. Touch Therapy made me feel like a Goddess.”
The Anatomy of Touch podcast is available now on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000n484
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