Touch deprivation has terrible affects on a person's health. The science of healthy touch is largely studied in infants and the elderly. Both of these populations are the most likely to be touch deprived, but lack of touch can affect us all.
Touch plays an important role in an infant's development. In the womb, touch is the first sense to develop. At birth, the baby is pushed through the birth canal stimulating the sense of touch even more. Infants thrive on skin to skin contact with their parents.
Researchers once thought that an infant's attachment to his mother was all about food. The infant only formed the bond because of the need for nourishment. In the 1960's, Harry Harlow proved that this theory was wrong. He did research on baby monkeys and touch deprivation. The baby monkeys were initially keep in clear cages. They were well cared for in every way except one--they were touch deprived. They had no contact from other monkeys and little contact with their human researchers. Then they were put into a cage with two fake mother monkeys. One was made of wire mesh but had a bottle of formula for the baby monkeys to drink. The bottle was clearly visible to the baby monkeys. They were familiar with it because they'd drank from it all their lives. The other was soft and furry like a mother monkey would be. The baby monkeys when put into this strange environment clung to the soft mother monkey for hours. They would not go to the wire mother for food. Older monkeys would cling to the cloth monkey and when hungry would go to the wire monkey for brief periods of time to eat. When frightened all infant monkeys went to the clothe mother.
When the monkeys grew up, they showed anti-social behavior and could not get along with other monkeys or nurture their young because of the touch deprivation they receive as infants..
Here is a video of Harlow talking demonstrating his monkey experiment. I have to admit this video can be difficult to watch, but it is interesting.
Harlow's monkey experiments changed the way the scientific community viewed the importance of the parent child relationship. Prior to this discovery children in orphanages where sick and dying from failure to thrive and it wasn't realized that these symptoms were a result of touch deprivation. Once the importance of touch was realized the care of orphans was approached differently.
In the 1970's, James W. Prescott researched 400 cultures around the world. He found that societies that lavished more affection on infants and young children and were tolerant of teenagers expressing sexual affection towards one another were less violent that other societies.
Senior citizens who are touched on a regular basis are healthier and less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Pre-mature babies who are touched on a regular basis gain weight more quickly than babies who are not. Infant massage is a great way to touch your infant while increasing the bond between the two of you.
Healthy touch from another human being slows your heart rate, decreases the levels of cortisol in your system, and eases anxiety. It's no wonder that touch is so important.
