A loving Touch

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Who knew that touch could have such a profound affect on human babies as well as other animals? If you don’t get enough affection as a child it could seriously affect the rest of your development.

This was studied in rats and in monkeys. With rats if they are removed from their mothers for even a short amount of time their bodies will reduce their need for food in order to stay alive. In order to do this their bodies will grow at a slower pace or stop growing all together. With monkeys if they suffered short-term deprivation they didn't have as many problems. They would become clingy with other monkeys. Monkeys that suffered long-term deprivation would become loners and would be aggressive with other monkeys.

Babies have been born deaf or blind or even both and they have been able to live almost normal lives. Children that are neglected or just not held or shown love can be drastically affected for the rest of their lives.

There was a study done mentioned in The Loving Touch is Critical for Premature Infants on Elsevier. In one group of children the mothers would hold their child every day for an hour for 14 days in a row. This children were compared to children who were just kept in standard incubator care. Over the next ten years the children were followed and the ones who had their mothers touch of the 14 days straight had developed more functioning of their autonomic nervous system and better cognitives controls.

Overall I think that touch is a sense that people take for granted. We would be no where as developed without our mother's (or other caretaker's) touch at the beginning of our lives. Imagine not being able to feel a hug or kiss from a loved one or the warm fur of your cat, or preferably dog, when cuddling with them. I don't think I could go without those things. Touch is a sense people tend to overlook and when it is one of the most necessary for our survival. 

Work Cited:

Ackerman, Diane. A Natural History of the Senses. Phoenix, 2000.

Elsevier. “The Loving Touch Is Critical for Premature Infants.” Elsevier, www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/the-loving-touch-is-critical-for-premature-infants.

Comments

  1. Jonathan Brumberg-KrausFebruary 4, 2018 at 1:04 PM

    Do you think religion in general, or Christianity in particular has something important to say about this aspect of touch you discussed in your post? Like when you went on your retreat last semester, what role did touch play in people's interactions - hugging, avoidance of touching, healing/comforting touch, etc.?

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