Why touch is important for our body and mind

Try shutting off your senses. Close your eyes and mouth, block your ears and pinch your nose. Now, you can’t see, taste, hear or smell. But you can still feel. For example, you can feel the floor under your feet. Or the hair brushing your face. Our sense of touch is the only sense that is always active, and it’s the first sense that we develop.

At just eight weeks old, a baby can feel their mother stroking her belly. We experience close physical contact from birth. Babies need touch so that their nervous system and the brain can develop.

There are up to 20 million sensitive sensory cells in our skin that send lightning-fast signals to our brain. Most people need physical closeness throughout their lives – and for good reason. Helsana health expert, Julia Pieh, explains: 

When hugging, your body releases neurotransmitters, otherwise known as happiness hormones. The “cuddle hormone”, oxytocin, has a calming effect; it helps reduce stress and strengthens bonds between people. A hug is the earliest form of personal closeness in our lives. “Touch alone doesn’t have a huge effect,” says Pieh. “What’s important is the connection between your skin and feelings. The person needs to think of themselves as a whole.”

Oxytocin isn’t just released when we have personal contact with humans. The body also produces oxytocin when we stroke or hug animals, especially dogs and cats. This contact and the animal’s body temperature stimulates the skin, just like with human touch. Studies show that if you aren’t keen on animals, hugging a tree has the same effect.

Kissing is closely related to hugging. It makes our heart beat faster. Hormone experts from the Medical University of Vienna established that kissing can combat problems with the cardiovascular system. The pulse rises and blood vessels dilate, which means the organs are better supplied with blood.

Kissing for at least three minutes, on a regular basis, reduces high blood pressure and improves cholesterol levels. Kissing also transmits around 80 million bacteria, which are luckily rendered harmless by the immune cells. This, in turn, strengthens the immune system.

From birth, children are kissed and hugged by their parents, grandparents, siblings and extended family. We are kissed thousands of times and in different ways. During adolescence, we experience our first “real kiss”. It’s an exhilarating feeling – and it’s healthy. When lips and tongue touch, a cocktail of hormones gets released. Neurotransmitters such as oxytocin, adrenaline and dopamine create feelings of happiness, reduce pain and even relieve tension.