Members in the Media
From: The New York Times

What It Means to Be ‘Touch-Starved’

Touch communicates connection and caring “with crystal clarity to your brain in ways that words don’t,” said James A. Coan, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and author of the forthcoming book “Why We Hold Hands.”

“Touch is part of flirting — you bump into each other, and you assess each other’s interest with touch,” said Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies touch and emotion. “When you flirt with someone you’re figuring out: Is this a good partner?

People who are craving touch can get similar benefits from “brushing” their skin or massaging themselves using their hands or elbows, said Tiffany Field, a professor in the departments of pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of Miami, who has researched touch for decades.

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