tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/touch-10568/articlesTouch – The Conversation2024-02-29T19:06:47Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2244942024-02-29T19:06:47Z2024-02-29T19:06:47ZWe discovered a ‘gentle touch’ molecule is essential for light tactile sensation in humans – and perhaps in individual cells<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578809/original/file-20240229-16-loeyq2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=36%2C0%2C2692%2C2570&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/womans-hand-fern-leaf-man-nature-2190358695">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You were probably taught that we have five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. This is not quite right: “touch” is not a single sense, but rather several working together. </p>
<p>Our bodies contain a network of sensory nerve cells with endings sitting in the skin that detect an array of different physical signals from our environment. The pleasant sensation of a gentle touch feels distinct from the light pressure of our clothes or the hardness of a pencil gripped between our fingers, and all of these are quite different from the pain of a stubbed toe.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-you-feel-your-sense-of-touch-is-several-different-senses-rolled-into-one-169344">How do you feel? Your 'sense of touch' is several different senses rolled into one</a>
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<p>How do these sensory neurons communicate such a wide range of different inputs? </p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl0495">new research published in Science</a>, the two co-authors of this article and our colleagues have found a force-sensing molecule in nerve cells called ELKIN1, which is specifically involved in detecting gentle touch. This molecule converts gentle touch into an electrical signal, the first step in the process of gentle touch perception.</p>
<h2>How we sense gentle touch</h2>
<p>Sensing gentle touch begins with tiny deformations of the skin due to a light brush. While they may not seem like much, these deformations generate enough force to activate sensory molecules that are found in specialised nerve endings in the skin. </p>
<p>These molecular force sensors form a pore in the surface of the cell that is closed until a force is applied. When the cell is indented, the pore opens and an electrical current flows. </p>
<p>This electrical current can generate a signal that moves along the sensory nerve to the spinal cord and up to the brain. </p>
<p>Our new research, led by Gary Lewin and Sampurna Chakrabarti from the Max Delbruck Center in Berlin, showed the force sensor ELKIN1 is necessary for us to detect very gentle touch.</p>
<p>They found mice lacking the ELKIN1 molecule did not appear to sense a cotton bud being gently drawn across their paw. The mice retained their ability to sense other environmental information, including other types of touch.</p>
<h2>Different molecules for different kinds of touch</h2>
<p>This new finding reveals one reason we can sense multiple types of “touch”: we have multiple, specialised force-sensing proteins that can help us distinguish different environmental signals. </p>
<p>ELKIN1 is the second touch-receptor molecule discovered in sensory neurons. The first (PIEZO2) was found in 2010 by Ardem Patapoutian, who was later awarded the Nobel Prize for the work. PIEZO2 is involved in sensing gentle touch, as well as a sense known as “proprioception”. Proprioception is the sense of where our limbs are in space that helps us regulate our movements.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578782/original/file-20240228-30-4t2s64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A microscope image showing blobs of cyan, yellow and magenta." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578782/original/file-20240228-30-4t2s64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578782/original/file-20240228-30-4t2s64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578782/original/file-20240228-30-4t2s64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578782/original/file-20240228-30-4t2s64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578782/original/file-20240228-30-4t2s64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578782/original/file-20240228-30-4t2s64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578782/original/file-20240228-30-4t2s64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Mouse neurons with the new ion channel ELKIN1 (cyan), which is responsible for touch sensation, nucleus (yellow) and the already known ion channel PIEZO2 (magenta).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sampurna Chakrabarti / Max Delbrück Center</span></span>
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<p>Identifying these force-sensing molecules is a challenge in itself. We need to be able to study nerve cells in isolation and measure electrical currents that flow into the cell while simultaneously applying controlled forces to the cells themselves. </p>
<h2>Do cells feel?</h2>
<p>While much of our research studied mouse neurons, not all scientific data obtained from mice can be directly translated to humans. </p>
<p>With team members at the University of Wollongong, one of us (Mirella Dottori) tried to determine whether ELKIN1 worked the same way in humans. They reprogrammed human stem cells to produce specialised nerve cells that respond to “touch” stimuli. In these human cells, ELKIN1 had similar functional properties of detecting touch. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578781/original/file-20240228-24-4t2s64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A photo of a glass electrode prodding some cells in a Petri dish." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578781/original/file-20240228-24-4t2s64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578781/original/file-20240228-24-4t2s64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578781/original/file-20240228-24-4t2s64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578781/original/file-20240228-24-4t2s64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578781/original/file-20240228-24-4t2s64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578781/original/file-20240228-24-4t2s64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578781/original/file-20240228-24-4t2s64.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Experiments on sensory neurons confirmed the role of the ELKIN1 molecule.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Felix Petermann / Max Delbrück Center</span></span>
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<p>While this research expands our understanding of how we make sense of the world around us, it also raises an additional, intriguing possibility. </p>
<p>ELKIN1 was first identified by one of us (Kate Poole) and her team at UNSW, with Gary Lewin and his team, while studying how melanoma cells break away from model tumours and “feel” their way through their surroundings. This could mean these tiny molecular force sensors give not only us, but our individual cells, a nuanced sense of touch.</p>
<p>Future research will continue to search for more molecular force sensors and endeavour to understand how they help our cells, and us, navigate our physical environment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224494/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kate Poole receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Research Council and the US Air Force Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mirella Dottori receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Medical Research Future Fund, Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance and Friedreich Ataxia Research Association. </span></em></p>Our bodies have a dedicated channel for sensing only the very lightest of touches.Kate Poole, Associate Professor in Physiology, UNSW SydneyMirella Dottori, Professor, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1916982022-10-10T13:20:06Z2022-10-10T13:20:06ZThe magic of touch: how deafblind people taught us to ‘see’ the world differently during COVID<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488856/original/file-20221009-58320-oy1rpz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C139%2C5447%2C3276&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/silhouette-hand-behind-glass-foreground-276478628">Toeizuza Thailand/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>As someone who is severely deaf and completely blind, I felt overnight I had lost a third sense, my sense of touch. To make matters worse, people around me faded away – voices had become so quiet that there was an eerie soundlessness all around. Nothing was making sense any more.</p>
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<p>Issy McGrath has <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/usher-syndrome/#:%7E:text=Usher%20syndrome%20type%20II%20is,to%20hear%20high%2Dfrequency%20sounds.">type 2 Usher syndrome</a>. Completely blind and severely deaf, she has a passion for music and plays the flute. Using a combination of touch, smell and keen imagination – her “inner eye” – Issy says she frequently senses things that are beyond the grasp of sight: the “almost solid” nature of the winter air in the morning, or the enchanting atmosphere of a frozen landscape.</p>
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<p>For Issy and many others like her, the COVID pandemic had a devastating effect on day-to-day life. “Two-metre social distancing felt like the world had turned its back on me,” she recalls. “It was too far for me to reach out and touch everything around me. Yet it’s mainly through touch that I get a sense of what a person is like.”</p>
<p>A retired teacher living in Glasgow, Scotland, Issy speaks poignantly about her COVID struggles in an <a href="https://touch-post-covid.gla.ac.uk/index.php/example-data/">audio diary</a> that was part of my <a href="https://touch-post-covid.gla.ac.uk/">research</a> into the experiences of deafblind people during the pandemic:</p>
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<p>As I approach my garden gate, feeling around for the latch to open it, a thought occurs to me. There is a pandemic sweeping the world and maybe I will catch the virus from this wooden fence. Maybe it’s on the latch I have just touched. I shake my hands to free myself from these thoughts. I make my way back to my house and wash my hands thoroughly, trying to free my mind of these fearful imaginings.</p>
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<h2>‘You can feel the energy of things’</h2>
<p>As a filmmaker, I am constantly questioning how and what we see – and what we <em>don’t</em> see. This has led me to work closely with deafblind communities around the UK, to understand how their view of the world differs from everyone else’s – in an ocularcentric society that privileges vision over all other senses.</p>
<p>Perceiving through touch takes time. By methodically stroking different surfaces, deafblind people build up a mental image not only of a person or object, but their place in the surrounding room or landscape. Deafblind people’s hands and skin are, I think, unusually sensitive to different levels of rigidity, to the feeling of different textures, and to slight differences in movement or temperature.</p>
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<span class="caption">John Whitfield, a key member of the research project: ‘You are desperate to get information but it’s very tiring.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>John Whitfield, a training officer at <a href="https://dbscotland.org.uk/what-we-do/">Deafblind Scotland</a>, has been severely deaf since birth and now has only 5% of his vision left. He describes how much concentration is required to understand the world around him and keep up with conversations. “Sometimes that is very, very tiring,” he admits.</p>
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<p>Because you are so conscious of the restriction on your hearing and vision, your brain has to compensate – and your body is having to compensate too by getting information in whatever way it can. My sense of smell is heightened, for example. You are just desperate to get as much information from the environment as you possibly can, so you will use any method.</p>
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<p>For Roger Wilson-Hindr, who lives with his vision-impaired wife in a small village in the Midlands of England, touching means more than just receiving sensory input or holding on to information. He says every tactile interaction is a chance to form a new relationship, adding that “touch and physical contact take on greater significance if your eyes and ears are badly damaged like mine”.</p>
<p>Corneal scars and glaucoma suffered during childhood limit what Roger can perceive – he is able to see colour but with little definition. Trees, one of his favourite things, appear as a golden or green mass.</p>
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<p><strong><em>This story is part of Conversation Insights</em></strong>
<br><em>The Insights team generates <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/insights-series-71218">long-form journalism</a> and is working with academics from different backgrounds who have been engaged in projects to tackle societal and scientific challenges.</em></p>
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<p>But when gardening, he can still “feel” the seasons through the bendability, texture and direction of the stems and branches. He says there is a “magic” to touch – “you can feel the energy of things” – and that it’s not always just about making up for a lack of vision. Deafblind people’s tactile world contains much joy.</p>
<p>Imagine, then, the impact for Roger and all other blind and deafblind people when COVID transformed the meaning of touch and proximity to others – from a life-enricher to a potential life threat. As Issy puts it:</p>
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<p>Social distancing meant the world both passed me by and left me constantly conflicted. Do I allow people into my space so that I can interact and make sense of the world, risking catching the virus? Or do I ask people to respect the two-metre social distance rule, and allow a creeping sense of isolation to overwhelm my emotional wellbeing?</p>
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<h2>The importance of touch</h2>
<p>There are two common misconceptions about deafblind people: that they require continuous assistance and are not easy to communicate with. During our research, we heard how these perceptions contribute to their exclusion from wider society and can have a damaging effect on their confidence. This was all made worse by the pandemic, as Issy explains:</p>
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<p>Holding someone’s hand provides me with so much information – to feel the fabric of someone’s clothing means I can get a real sense of their being. Suddenly [with the onset of COVID], to be so far away from the scent of their perfume or the texture of their hair … it was all gone. Even with the relaxing of social-distancing, the joy I had in reaching out to touch and link arms with other people has become subdued and cautious, as I warily navigate my world through my sense of touch.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Issy McGrath talks about her struggles during the pandemic. Film by Azadeh Emadi.</span></figcaption>
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<p>When we think about touch, we usually think of hands and fingertips. But Roger highlights that, for deafblind people, “touch uses all aspects of our body – from the top of our head to feel the sunlight, to our feet for feeling where we are on the street”. Indeed, all of our interviewees emphasised the importance of touching with their feet – helping them to scan and perceive the environment while walking, to recognise the characteristics of different spaces and create a mental map.</p>
<p>As the first lockdown was easing, Issy recalls being reduced to tears in the middle of a street in her suddenly unfamiliar Glasgow neighbourhood. With cafés and restaurants expanding outside and altering the usual pedestrian layout, she found herself continually bumping into unexpected obstacles and people. As well as the frustration of having to create a new internal map of the area, she worried that people might become annoyed because of her lack of social distancing.</p>
<p>At the same time, she also felt a new threat from people invading her personal space:</p>
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<p>I remember standing outside a supermarket, waiting for my husband, when someone tapped me abruptly on my shoulder and asked where the nearest car park was. Realising he had touched me was a shock and made me feel so uncomfortable. I asked if he was socially distancing and he replied that he had been trying to attract my attention for ages. Until that moment I was totally unaware he was there.</p>
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<h2>Conversations with a quantum physicist</h2>
<p>Before the pandemic took a grip of the world, much of my research was focused on pixels. In particular, how these tiny areas of illumination join forces to create an uninterrupted experience of film without ever revealing themselves – each undergoing a different rate of change depending on the codes they receive.</p>
<p>This led to some fascinating conversations with a quantum physicist, Daniele Faccio from my university’s physics department, about how new technology might reveal hitherto imperceptible light phenomena. His team were using <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41566-020-0697-7">single-photon cameras</a> that can detect light waves as particles and thus “freeze” light in motion, taking photographs of a light pulse or video of light as it moves through a room.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/disabled-people-are-already-cutting-back-on-costs-more-than-others-for-many-the-150-cost-of-living-payment-wont-do-much-to-help-191022">Disabled people are already cutting back on costs more than others – for many, the £150 cost of living payment won't do much to help</a>
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<p>As a videomaker, I found this technology fascinating – and I wondered if we could pool our knowledge to help blind people “watch” moving images by translating them into a tactile experience. In other words, develop a platform that could work as a form of “video Braille”. </p>
<p>In 2019, we began experimenting with ultrasound technology to focus soundwaves and create pressure spots that could be felt on someone’s hands. In this way, we hoped we could turn pixels from moving images into a range of tactile experiences linked to a film’s content (e.g. facial expressions, emotions, movement). The tactile sensations could include different temperatures, pressures and movements on the palm of each hand.</p>
<p>Then the pandemic intervened, our project was put on hold, and time slowed to a frustrating crawl. A saving grace, though, was my growing understanding of the way deafblind people take such care to understand their surroundings, never rushing the process of learning about a new situation. This helped me to slowly accept and learn from this extraordinary period, rather than trying to escape it.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Film of Issy McGrath in her kitchen by Azadeh Emadi.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Once lockdown ended, I tried to convey this by filming <a href="https://touch-post-covid.gla.ac.uk/index.php/touchscreen/#purple">Issy in her kitchen</a> as she made a cup of tea and arranged a vase of purple flowers. What to sighted viewers might look like “fumbling and stumbling” (as Issy calls it) is actually her way of learning and knowing. We see her gently touching the flowers, smelling their scent, imagining their forms as she measures their length, cuts and carefully arranges them into a vase. She is taking as much time as her touch needs:</p>
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<p>Although the way I move around might look to you like a struggle, it’s not. I am putting my hand out to reach and touch things, pick things up, make sense of what’s in front of me, because that is the way I interact with my world. I am drawing up a map in my mind of what’s out there. So instead of thinking I am struggling, let me fumble and stumble – that is all information for me. The reward I get is that I will be, and am, a much more autonomous and resilient deafblind person.</p>
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<h2>A tool to help deafblind people</h2>
<p>The insights offered by Issy and our other deafblind collaborators during the early days of COVID made us determined to <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/19/7136">develop a tool</a> that could help give them some independence in navigating the newly opened-up spaces after lockdown. This shifted our attention from developing a video Braille tool to one that could accurately locate the people and objects around them. </p>
<p>The synergy we’d already found between arts and quantum physics resulted in our idea for a new “spatial awareness” tool. Over a series of workshops starting in June 2021, Issy and John helped our research team to understand how deafblind people imagine, memorise and map a space both with and without touch – and thus what they needed from our device.</p>
<p>The prototype consisted of two elements: a portable radar and wearable feedback devices (a headband and an armband). “I am going to be honest and say I felt like the borg from Star Wars,” recalls Issy, our first tester. “But wow, it was fascinating.”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488857/original/file-20221009-57478-mwbb1c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Deafblind man pointing out man in front of him" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488857/original/file-20221009-57478-mwbb1c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488857/original/file-20221009-57478-mwbb1c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488857/original/file-20221009-57478-mwbb1c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488857/original/file-20221009-57478-mwbb1c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488857/original/file-20221009-57478-mwbb1c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488857/original/file-20221009-57478-mwbb1c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488857/original/file-20221009-57478-mwbb1c.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">John Whitfield tests the prototype device to help deafblind people sense others around them.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The radar would scan the space up to six metres in front and to each side of the tester, tracking people as they came into range and moved about. This information was turned into vibrations of different intensity using tiny <a href="https://www.nfpmotor.com/products-coin-vibration-motors.html">coin vibration motors</a> in the headband and armband, which activated depending on the distance and direction of the detected person.</p>
<p>In our first test in a large theatre room at the University of Glasgow, Issy – having turned off her hearing aids to avoid getting any other environmental clues – was asked to indicate the direction of a person entering the near-space in front of her based on the vibrations she felt in the headband.</p>
<p>Most of the time, without hesitation, she correctly indicated where they were standing. It was an emotional moment for her, and all of us, when we told her about the accuracy of her answers. For the first time since she went completely blind, she was sensing where people were without relying on touch:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Goodness, it would be so nice to walk up the road with this technology. Along with Yang my guide dog, I’d have a device that can tell me much more about the space around me and what’s happening – you know, how many people are in front of me, to the side, where are they? Am I walking right into a big crowd?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In our second test, Issy used both the headband (to indicate the person’s direction) and armband (for their proximity) – but struggled to correctly detect how far away a person was. After a few trials, we realised the coin vibrations motors were too close together for her to differentiate the signals, and that the forearm location was also confusing. It would be better to combine the two sets of information (distance and direction) into one headband, and use the intensity of vibrations to indicate how far away the person was.</p>
<p>After further trials, we <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/19/7136">refined the tool</a> enough to be implemented into a cap. From the outset, our participants had stressed the importance of creating wearable technology that could blend in with everyday clothing if it was to be of true benefit to users such as Issy:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The fact that it could give me an extra sense of my surroundings is fascinating. I actually just wanted to say to the guys: ‘Do you fancy going up Great Western Road with it now?’</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>‘A magic that reveals the joy in the world’</h2>
<p>In May 2022, I was giving Issy a tour of our <a href="https://www.cca-glasgow.com/whats-on/collection/touchscreen-rethinking-perception-through-sight-and-skin">TouchScreen event</a> at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow. She was immediately drawn to a video installation called <a href="https://www.wolfgangweileder.com/other/trees_video_installation.html">Trees, by Wolfgang Weileder</a>. The video shows trees in different locations being cut down.</p>
<p>While standing in front of the large screen, she said she could sense the trees in the video via her cane. The sound frequencies from the audio were travelling from the speakers through the ground – she was thrilled because she felt included in the experience of the artwork.</p>
<p>As we stood there, I shifted my attention from seeing to feeling with my feet – and I could sense the vibrations too. This new layer of experience had been imperceptible to me a moment ago, yet now I felt physically related to the trees as they were being cut down. I also became aware of the ground connecting me with Issy. The sound was touching us both.</p>
<figure>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/340255071" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Trees by Wolfgang Weileder.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Favouring vision over other senses means we risk missing out on a host of rich experiences and connections – not least with people like Issy, Roger, John and other differently-abled people.</p>
<p>So the ambition of our <a href="https://touch-post-covid.gla.ac.uk/">ongoing research</a> – combining deeper understanding of the needs of deafblind people with cutting-edge quantum technology – is not only to enable deafblind people to play a bigger role in society. We also want to use their unique understanding of the world to enrich everyone else’s.</p>
<p>There could be more research into technology that enables them to communicate more independently. For example, by looking at how mmWaves (the type of radio waves used in airport security scanners) could be used to recognise hand gestures and touch-based communication beyond sign-language. </p>
<p>Certainly, there is more for us all to learn about the value of touch in the aftermath of the pandemic. If our eyesight is about knowing through a safe distance, touch is about forming intimate relations and becoming entangled with the surrounding world. As Issy says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>You know, as somebody who has lost their eyesight, I was just too busy trying to get on with things. You don’t stop for two minutes and think: ‘Well actually, I hadn’t thought … how much I rely on touch and how much it means to me. How much it helps me to visualise the world.’</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For John, touch is a “holistic way of feeling” through the body. For Issy it is about “imagination” and knowing through “fumbling and stumbling”. For Roger, touch is like “magic” that reveals the joy in the world.</p>
<p>It is sad that it has taken a pandemic to bring greater understanding of the significance of touch – and in particular, touch deprivation – in our daily lives. But perhaps the disconnectedness we all experienced has also evoked greater empathy for the struggles deafblind people have been experiencing throughout history, such as isolation, lack of effective communication and exclusion from society.</p>
<p>It’s time we embraced their unique insights and learn about the way they “see” and feel the world. Or as Issy puts it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I always say to people, ‘You come into my space for two minutes and I’ll show you the way, in my world and my deafblind culture. The way I interact and connect with my space. Walk with me and I’ll show you the way – not through your eyes … but by connecting with me and my hands through touch.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>This article is part of an Insights series developed with <a href="https://www.ukri.org/about-us/">UK Research and Innovation</a> (UKRI) to explore the wider implications of research carried out during the COVID pandemic. <a href="https://touch-post-covid.gla.ac.uk/">Touch Post-COVID-19</a> is a UKRI-funded <a href="https://touch-post-covid.gla.ac.uk/index.php/team/">interdisciplinary research project</a> based at the University of Glasgow.</em></p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
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<p><em>For you: more from our <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/insights-series-71218?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">Insights series</a>:</em></p>
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<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-inside-story-of-recovery-how-the-worlds-largest-covid-19-trial-transformed-treatment-and-what-it-could-do-for-other-diseases-184772?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">The inside story of Recovery: how the world’s largest COVID-19 trial transformed treatment – and what it could do for other diseases
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<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/loneliness-loss-and-regret-what-getting-old-really-feels-like-new-study-157731?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">Loneliness, loss and regret: what getting old really feels like – new study
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<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/generation-covid-pregnancy-birth-and-postnatal-life-in-the-pandemic-160644?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">Generation COVID: pregnancy, birth and postnatal life in the pandemic
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Azadeh Emadi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A cultural collaboration with deafblind people led to the development of a high-tech device to help navigate their world post-lockdownAzadeh Emadi, Lecturer in Screen Production, School of Culture & Creative Arts, University of GlasgowLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1824412022-08-01T15:29:08Z2022-08-01T15:29:08ZThe tongue: how one of the body’s most sensitive organs is helping blind people ‘see’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464768/original/file-20220523-26-5xzgxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=165%2C0%2C6312%2C4292&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The tip of the tongue is more sensitive than our fingertips.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pretty-joyful-african-american-cute-short-2032746725">Anatoliy Karlyuk/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ever wondered why kissing feels better than holding hands? The tongue is a pretty incredible piece of kit, though notoriously difficult to study, due to its position inside the mouth. Obviously, it gives us access to the wonderful world of taste, but more than that, it has greater sensitivity to touch than the fingertip. Without it, we aren’t able to speak, sing, breathe efficiently or swallow delicious beverages. </p>
<p>So why don’t we use it even more? <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0001007">My new study</a> investigates how to make the most of this strange organ – potentially as an interface to help people with visual impairments navigate and even exercise. I realise this may sound mindboggling, but please bear with me.</p>
<p>My research is part of a field known as “sensory substitution”, a branch of interdisciplinary science that combines psychology, neuroscience, computer science and engineering to develop “sensory substitution devices” (known as SSDs). SSDs convert sensory information from one sense to another. For example, if the device is designed for a person with a visual impairment, this typically means converting visual information from a video feed into sound or touch. </p>
<h2>Drawing pictures on the tongue</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7384990_Brainport_An_alternative_input_to_the_brain">BrainPort</a>, first developed in 1998, is one such technology. It converts a camera’s video feed into moving patterns of electrical stimulation on the surface of the tongue. The “tongue display” (a small device shaped like a lollipop) consists of 400 tiny electrodes, with each electrode corresponding to a pixel from a camera’s video feed. </p>
<p>It creates a low-resolution tactile display on the tongue matching the output from the camera. The technology can be used to help stroke victims maintain their sense of balance. And in 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration approved its use as an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/06/18/fda-approves-device-to-help-blind-people-see-by-using-their-tongues/">aid for the visually impaired</a>.</p>
<p>Imagine holding your hand up to a camera and feeling a tiny hand simultaneously appear on the tip of your tongue. It sort of feels a bit like someone is drawing images on your tongue in popping candy. </p>
<p>While the BrainPort has been around for years, it hasn’t seen much real-world uptake, despite being ten times cheaper than a retinal implant. I use the BrainPort to test how human attention works on the surface of the tongue, to see if differences in perception might be the cause of this. </p>
<p>In psychology research, there is a famous method to test attention, called the <a href="https://jov.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2121543">Posner Cueing paradigm</a>, named after the American psychologist <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/12/posner">Mike Posner</a> who developed it in the 1980s to measure visual attention. </p>
<p>When I say attention, I don’t mean “attention span”. Attention refers to the set of processes that bring things from the environment into our conscious awareness. Posner found that our attention can be cued by visual stimuli. </p>
<p>If we briefly see something moving out of the corner of our eye, attention focuses on that area. We probably evolved this way to quickly react to dangerous snakes lurking around corners and in the edges of our visual field. </p>
<p>This process also occurs between senses. If you’ve ever sat in a pub garden in summer and heard the dreaded drone of an incoming wasp to one ear, your attention is very quickly drawn to that side of your body. </p>
<p>The sound of the wasp captures your auditory attention to the general location of the potentially incoming wasp so that the brain can quickly allocate visual attention to identify the exact location of the wasp, and tactile attention to quickly swat or duck away from the wasp. </p>
<p>This is what we call <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364661398011887">“cross-modal” attention</a> (vision is one mode of sensation, audio another): things that appear in one sense can influence other senses.</p>
<h2>Paying attention to the tongue</h2>
<p>My colleagues and I developed a variation of the Posner Cueing paradigm to see if the brain can allocate tactile attention on the surface of the tongue in the same way as the hands or other modes of attention. We know loads about visual attention, and tactile attention on the hands and other body parts, but have no idea if this knowledge translates to the tongue. </p>
<p>This is important because BrainPort is designed, built and sold to help people “see” through their tongue. But we need to understand if “seeing” with the tongue is the same as seeing with the eyes.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Image of a blind man talking on the phone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475826/original/file-20220725-18-zuoyzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475826/original/file-20220725-18-zuoyzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475826/original/file-20220725-18-zuoyzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475826/original/file-20220725-18-zuoyzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475826/original/file-20220725-18-zuoyzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475826/original/file-20220725-18-zuoyzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475826/original/file-20220725-18-zuoyzm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How similar is seeing with the tongue to seeing with the eyes or hands?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-blinded-man-using-phone-sending-1978517621">PH888/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The answer to these questions, like almost everything in life, is that it’s complicated. The tongue does respond to cued information in roughly the same way as the hands or vision, but despite the incredible sensitivity of the tongue, attentional processes are a bit limited compared with the other senses. It is very easy to over-stimulate the tongue – causing sensory overload that can make it hard to feel what’s going on.</p>
<p>We also found that attentional processes on the tongue can be influenced by sound. For example, if a BrainPort user hears a sound to the left they can more easily identify information on the left side of their tongue. This could help to guide attention and reduce sensory overload with the BrainPort if paired with an auditory interface. </p>
<p>In terms of real-world use of the BrainPort, this translates to managing the complexity of visual information that gets substituted and, if possible, use another sense to help share some of the sensory load. Using the BrainPort in isolation could be too overstimulating to provide reliable information and could potentially be improved by using other assistive technology alongside, such as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/blind-people-can-see-bodies-with-sound-study-24008">vOICe</a>. </p>
<p>We’re using these findings to develop a device to help rock climbers with visual impairments to <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3491101.3519680">navigate while climbing</a>. To prevent information overload, we’re using machine learning to identify climbing holds and filter out less relevant information. We’re also exploring the possibility of using sound to cue where the next hold might be, and then use the feedback on the tongue to precisely locate the hold. </p>
<p>With a few tweaks, this technology may eventually become a more reliable instrument to help blind or deaf or blind people navigate. It may even help paraplegic people, unable to use their hands, navigate or communicate more efficiently.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182441/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mike Richardson's PhD project was funded by the E.S.R.C. as part of a scholarship. He is also currently employed as a Research Associate at the University of Bath, where he is funded by MyWorld.</span></em></p>A device could be use to transmit a camera’s video feed into moving patterns of electrical stimulation on the surface of the tongue.Mike Richardson, Research Associate in Psychology, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1154182022-03-30T12:39:37Z2022-03-30T12:39:37ZRestoring touch through electrodes implanted in the human brain will require engineering around a sensory lag<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454006/original/file-20220323-19-gkft50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=709%2C0%2C4832%2C2928&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The brain responds differently to natural touch on a finger versus a direct electrical stimulation.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/finger-reaching-for-a-brain-illustration-royalty-free-illustration/1215123867">Sebastian Kaulitzki/Science Photo Library</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>More than 5 million people in the United States are affected by <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303270">limb loss or paralysis</a>. Technological devices that directly interact with the brain, known as <a href="http://bci.cs.washington.edu/">brain-computer interfaces</a>, offer the potential to decode an individual’s thoughts and translate them into action <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h60UjIGGV4">using a robotic arm</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oka8hqsOzg">a cursor on a screen</a>. These neuroprosthetics can take the place of an amputated or paralyzed arm, for instance, helping the user take an action.</p>
<p>Much research in this field to date has focused on decoding brain signals – what is it that the person wants to do?</p>
<p>But there’s another equally important part of any real-world prosthetic system. It needs to be able to convey information in the other direction, too, back to the brain to provide feedback from the external world. Think about how challenging it would be to interact with the world in the absence of touch. Tasks such as lighting a match, picking up an egg and grasping a coffee cup become tremendously difficult.</p>
<p>At the University of Washington’s <a href="https://centerforneurotech.uw.edu/">Center for Neurotechnology</a>, our team is working out how best to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t84lGE5TXA&t=13s">engineer stimulation to the brain</a> to restore tactile sensations that allow people to perform useful tasks. To this end, we are studying how people respond to sensation triggered by electrical stimulation of the brain. Our goal is to help devise a system that someday will allow someone who has lost the sense of touch to feel a loved one’s hand again.</p>
<h2>Speed of natural touch versus brain stimulation</h2>
<p>Collaborating with neurosurgeons <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zQJMnscAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Jeffrey Ojemann</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=78GnqoAAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Andrew Ko</a>, we rely on patient volunteers who generously allow us to carry out research while they are undergoing treatment for epilepsy.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454007/original/file-20220323-15-19jmijp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="patient with head immobilized in surgical suite" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454007/original/file-20220323-15-19jmijp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454007/original/file-20220323-15-19jmijp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454007/original/file-20220323-15-19jmijp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454007/original/file-20220323-15-19jmijp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454007/original/file-20220323-15-19jmijp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454007/original/file-20220323-15-19jmijp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454007/original/file-20220323-15-19jmijp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many brain surgeries are performed with the patient awake and able to provide live feedback.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/photo-essay-at-the-regional-university-hospital-of-lille-news-photo/151046906">BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To help localize the origin of a patient’s seizures prior to removing brain tissue to potentially help their epilepsy, Ojemann and Ko temporarily implant small, metal electrodes on top of and within the patient’s brain. These electrodes monitor the brain’s epileptic seizures so the neurosurgeons know where – and where not – to operate.</p>
<p>Our experiments use those same electrodes in two ways. We can record the electrical activity of the brain’s neurons. And we are also able to inject small amounts of electric current into specific parts of the brain. When we send a small burst of electricity to the touch-processing areas of the brain, the person experiences tactile sensations. In other words, when we activate particular neurons with electricity, the volunteer experiences it as if we were touching a particular part of their body.</p>
<p>In one study, we wanted to understand which tactile sensation <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-38619-2">an individual would perceive faster</a> – artificial stimulation due to direct electrical stimulation of the brain via electrode, or natural tactile sensation due to a real touch on the patient’s hand?</p>
<p>We asked our subjects to press a button as quickly as possible using the hand opposite to where they felt the sensation. They were blindfolded to eliminate the potential for visual feedback that might confound our results.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455100/original/file-20220329-21-1rzyey5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Line drawing illustrates slower response time to direct electrical stimulation of the brain" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455100/original/file-20220329-21-1rzyey5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/455100/original/file-20220329-21-1rzyey5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455100/original/file-20220329-21-1rzyey5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455100/original/file-20220329-21-1rzyey5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=412&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455100/original/file-20220329-21-1rzyey5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455100/original/file-20220329-21-1rzyey5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/455100/original/file-20220329-21-1rzyey5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Response times to direct stimulation of neurons in the brain were slower than response times to natural touch.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Caldwell and Rao</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What we discovered was surprising. Individuals responded <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-38619-2#Sec2">more slowly to direct stimulation</a> of their brain’s primary somatosensory cortex compared to a natural touch to their fingers. Even though an electric signal directly from the electrode in the brain bypassed all the peripheral nerves between the hand and head, the signal that traveled the longer journey up the ascending sensory nerves registered first.</p>
<p>This result held up even when we tested subjects again after a short break, suggesting that it cannot be explained solely as a novel sensation that the subjects needed time to learn. </p>
<p>[<em>The Conversation’s science, health and technology editors pick their favorite stories.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=science&source=inline-science-favorite">Weekly on Wednesdays</a>.]</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2560/11/4/046025">Previous studies in nonhuman primates</a> have found similar delays in reaction time relative to natural touch when researchers delivered electrical stimulation to a single location within somatosensory cortex. On the other hand, more recent research using multiple electrodes to stimulate somatosensory cortex in nonhuman primates found that such electrical stimulation could elicit response times <a href="https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/ab5cf3">slightly faster than natural touch</a>.</p>
<p>Together, these studies demonstrate the complexities of stimulating the brain to replace natural tactile feedback. Future technologies and engineering strategies will need to take into account variability in touch sensation depending on how electrical stimulation is targeted in the brain.</p>
<h2>Engineering around a sensory lag</h2>
<p>By discovering a delay in how people respond to direct electrical stimulation of their brains, we have revealed potential limitations in how current engineered solutions perform. The delay might limit how well future sensory neuroprosthetic devices using these clinical electrodes can work.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454009/original/file-20220324-21-198dllb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="hand removes egg from carton" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454009/original/file-20220324-21-198dllb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/454009/original/file-20220324-21-198dllb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454009/original/file-20220324-21-198dllb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454009/original/file-20220324-21-198dllb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454009/original/file-20220324-21-198dllb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454009/original/file-20220324-21-198dllb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/454009/original/file-20220324-21-198dllb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fine motor movements – like picking up an egg without crushing it – rely on calibrating the effort based on what your sense of touch tells you.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/hand-selected-egg-in-egg-box-royalty-free-image/1367295987">Jackyenjoyphotography/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUqgVHR6mpQ">Designers may need</a> to account for a significant lag in artificial sensation relative to natural touch. For instance, if a user doesn’t receive feedback from touch sensors on a robotic hand quickly enough, and the overall system does not account for this delay in perception, someone attempting to pick up an egg with a robotic hand could apply too much pressure and crush it.</p>
<p>To improve reaction times and more broadly to enhance the utility of direct brain stimulation, we will need to take into account ongoing brain activity and tailor the electrical stimulation patterns for each person’s brain and the task at hand.</p>
<p>To achieve this goal, we have recently proposed a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH5HBQD69oI">new type of brain-computer interface</a> called a <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2012.03378">brain co-processor</a>, which uses artificial intelligence to compute the best stimulation patterns for a task given current brain activity. Such an approach allows multiple electrodes to be used, possibly targeting multiple regions, and relies on co-adaptation with the brain to better approximate natural sensations. </p>
<p>Can electrical stimulation meaningfully substitute for natural touch during a complex task in the real world? We believe so. It will require both understanding the intricacies of information processing in the brain and incorporating this knowledge into future brain co-processors and neuroprosthetic devices for restoring touch.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/115418/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Caldwell received funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health, University of Washington Institute for Neuroengineering, and the ARCS foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rajesh P. N. Rao receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the Weill Neurohub Investigator program and a Cherng Jia & Elizabeth Yun Hwang Professorship.</span></em></p>When designing neuroprosthetic devices for users to control with their thoughts, engineers must take into account the sensory information brains collect from the environment and how it gets processed.David Caldwell, Neurological Surgery Resident, University of California, San FranciscoRajesh P. N. Rao, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and Director of the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering, University of WashingtonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1775832022-03-10T11:28:40Z2022-03-10T11:28:40ZIf you love ASMR you might be more sensitive, our research finds<p>Do you ever experience a tingling sensation in your scalp when someone whispers? </p>
<p>If you recognise that feeling, then you may well be acquainted with the phenomenon that’s gathered millions of followers over the last few years, and has been dubbed “autonomous sensory meridian response” (<a href="https://theasmr.com/what-is-asmr-meaning/">ASMR</a>). </p>
<p>For those of you who haven’t heard of ASMR, it’s a relaxing head-orientated tingling sensation that some people experience in response to various sensory “triggers”. It could be watching someone brush hair, or fold laundry with care and expertise or certain sounds like whispering or tapping. And in everyday life, one of the most common triggers is actually soft touch – like stroking someone’s arm or tracing fingers on the back.</p>
<p>Some people <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK453209/#:%7E:text=Their%20results%20indicated%20that%20the,effect%20of%20ASMR%20on%20mood">report experiencing</a> ASMR for “as long as they can remember” – but the explosion of <a href="https://ahrefs.com/blog/top-youtube-searches/">online ASMR videos</a> is allowing people to tap into the sensation on-demand rather than having to wait for it to happen as they go about their daily lives. And many people (even those that don’t experience ASMR tingling) may use them for relaxation and sleep. </p>
<p>But an intriguing question that remains unanswered is why only some people experience ASMR tingling.</p>
<p>We recently conducted <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656621001203">a study</a> which goes some way towards answering this question. It seems that people who experience ASMR have heightened sensory sensitivity – that is, they are more sensitive to what’s going on around them, and inside them. Here’s how we found out, and what it means.</p>
<h2>Sensitivity explained</h2>
<p>We all differ in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17588928.2018.1557131?casa_token=yRKIJyIeo1AAAAAA:6yggeDHHK-H9JzT0ewFypPEfwhuVR-WymeFJOt18QqN5jAZkCt-hq2FMzCvokdC4pSWp-UkEkV9HsQ">how sensitive</a> we are to information from our five external senses (touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste). If you’re highly sensitive to external input you might be disgusted at the strong smell of an aftershave as you pass someone in the street, for example. </p>
<p>We also vary in sensitivity to our body’s internal state, such as whether we’re feeling hungry or cold. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/differences-in-how-men-and-women-perceive-internal-body-signals-could-have-implications-for-mental-health-172917">Differences in how men and women perceive internal body signals could have implications for mental health</a>
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</em>
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<p>So, to investigate whether people with ASMR are more “sensitive”, we tested participants using the most commonly used measures of internal and external sensory sensitivity. The <a href="https://www.pearsonclinical.co.uk/store/ukassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Motor-Sensory/Adolescent-Adult-Sensory-Profile/p/P100009054.html">adult sensory profile</a>, for example, asked participants to rate their response in numerous situations (such as how well they work with background noise or whether they startle easily at unexpected or loud noises). </p>
<p>We also assessed whether participants experience ASMR when exposed to 16 common triggers, and if so, the strength of their ASMR response and how they experienced it.</p>
<h2>Sensitivity links to ASMR</h2>
<p>It turned out that people who experience ASMR showed much higher levels of sensory sensitivity than people without ASMR.</p>
<p>They report hypersensitivity and negative responses to external stimuli such as noise and movement, and are easily overstimulated by their environment. They also show higher levels of body awareness and greater sensitivity to internal bodily sensations – noticing how their body changes when they feel happy, for example.</p>
<p>And the strength of their ASMR response was also associated with heightened external sensitivity and greater control over their attention towards their body and emotional state. </p>
<p>We think that the concept of the “highly sensitive person” (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763418306250">HSP</a>) may be central for differentiating ASMR responders from non-responders. </p>
<p>Using a <a href="https://sensitivityresearch.com/about-sensitivity/">flower metaphor</a>, developed by researchers to distinguish between people who have different levels of sensitivity – both internal and to the external social environment, such as people and visual stimuli – our study found that 56% of ASMR responders were categorised as highly sensitive “orchids” (who do well in ideal conditions but badly in poor conditions) with only 12% categorised as the environmentally resilient “dandelions”. The remainder were “tulips” who lie somewhere in between. </p>
<p>This contrasts with other studies suggesting that highly sensitive orchids usually make up around <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-017-0090-6">30% of the population</a>.</p>
<p>As people with ASMR are more likely to be classified as highly sensitive, that might go some way towards explaining why ASMR has been linked to empathy. HSPs process social information more deeply which is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/brb3.242">thought to underpin</a> their ability to be more attuned and responsive to others’ emotions and needs. Future research may find similar enhanced social and emotional processing abilities in people with ASMR, but this needs to be properly investigated. </p>
<p>ASMR has been shown to enhance feelings of <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0196645">social connection</a> and the strongest ASMR triggers often simulate situations involving interpersonal closeness, intimacy, and touch. It may be that people who experience ASMR also derive more emotional benefit from social interactions. One fascinating possibility is that the tingling of ASMR reflects the ability to simulate <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763408001723?casa_token=2hTSpDq2tc0AAAAA:Hpy-wHdfNID3u6-JOk_SVflJQ02lR9mdSmRqrQiXJDa1J4_Sc0erl5jjGDLmXpffj-6uEouKFnw">social touch</a> and its benefits – such as stress reduction and mental well-being – from non-tactile stimuli. </p>
<p>There is one intriguing paradox: the same people who experience and enjoy ASMR triggers can often also be repulsed by the same sounds in different circumstances. ASMR-sensitive people have <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/3846/">elevated levels</a> of misophonia (a condition describing aversive and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28561277/">angry feelings</a> in response to certain sounds, such as tapping, chewing or lip smacking), with 43% experiencing it. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/asmr-what-we-know-so-far-about-this-unique-brain-phenomenon-and-what-we-dont-135106">ASMR: what we know so far about this unique brain phenomenon – and what we don't</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>If the same trigger sounds elicit opposite emotional reactions in the same people, then this could mean that there isn’t anything inherently pleasant or unpleasant about the sounds themselves. </p>
<p>Our findings suggest that one reason for this seemingly odd co-occurrence might be because both ASMR and misophonia are underlined by increased sensory sensitivity, especially to sound. The situation, and how the sensory information is translated into an emotional response, might then determine whether the same sound is evaluated as positive or negative by the same person. Being sensitive has many benefits – but as with all things in life, it has its complications too.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/177583/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Giulia Poerio does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s intriguing how some people experience ASMR while others don’t - our latest research suggests that many ASMR responders are highly sensitive “orchids”.Giulia Poerio, Associate lecturer, University of EssexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1719152021-12-06T13:40:31Z2021-12-06T13:40:31ZConsumers value a product viewed online more if they see it being virtually touched<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435086/original/file-20211201-19-1abb59k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=94%2C120%2C5651%2C3566&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Apple reportedly has policies designed to encourage consumers to touch its products. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/Apple/31da0252188f493d971a98d86de33f0c/photo?Query=apple%20store%20&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=3720&currentItemNo=4">AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Consumers who see a product on sale being virtually touched are more engaged and willing to pay more than if the item is displayed on its own, according to a <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1177/00222437211059540">2022 research paper I co-authored</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/economics/the-endowment-effect/">Behavioral economists have previously shown</a> that people value objects more highly if they own them, a concept known as “the endowment effect.” Marketers have found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/598614">this feeling of ownership can occur</a> even when a consumer merely touches something in a store.</p>
<p>With <a href="https://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/pdf/ec_current.pdf">Americans buying a record amount of stuff online</a>, I wondered whether virtual touch also influences how consumers perceive and value products. To find out, I teamed up with marketing researchers <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=44V54PcAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Joann Peck</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=CSGi0lQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">William Hedgcock</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/yixiangxu/">Yixiang Xu</a> and performed a series of studies. </p>
<p>In one, we examined 4,535 Instagram posts from four companies with tangible products that could be displayed in one’s hands. For example, we reviewed Instagram posts including ones that showed a hand grasping a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte against a backdrop of autumn leaves and hands unboxing the latest Samsung smartphone. We also examined posts without any touching. </p>
<p>Of the posts that contained a product, 43% portrayed hands in physical contact with it. These garnered significantly more engagement – receiving on average 65% more “likes” – than those that didn’t.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two images side by side show packages of yarn; the one on the left shows a hand touching it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435392/original/file-20211202-15-q4rbd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435392/original/file-20211202-15-q4rbd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435392/original/file-20211202-15-q4rbd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435392/original/file-20211202-15-q4rbd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435392/original/file-20211202-15-q4rbd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435392/original/file-20211202-15-q4rbd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435392/original/file-20211202-15-q4rbd5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Which image makes you want to buy the yarn?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">We Are Knitters</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To test this in an immersive environment, we recruited 144 students to a behavioral lab and asked them to wear a virtual reality headset that depicted them inside a sportswear store. Students could look 360 degrees around the virtual store, which mirrored a brick-and-mortar retail space with mannequins in the window and floor-to-ceiling clothing displays. </p>
<p>After about a minute, the headset simulated moving toward a red T-shirt hanging on a rack. One-third of the students then viewed their virtual hand reach out to touch the shirt, a second third saw a cursor appear over the product – and no hand – while the rest witnessed the hand grasp a pole on a nearby shelf. </p>
<p>Afterward, students completed a survey asking them to state how much they would pay for the T-shirt, up to $30. Those who saw their hand touching the shirt were willing to pay an average of 33% more than those who did not.</p>
<p>We tested across six additional studies using a variety of stimuli, including GIFs and videos. We varied the type of product being touched, the apparent gender and realness of the hands and their movement. We found consistent results showing an increased willingness to pay for the product when people “touched” it – even when we gave them a cartoonlike blue hand.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A virtual scene shows a clothing store with clothes on racks, mannequins and shelves" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435393/original/file-20211202-13-64rlv9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/435393/original/file-20211202-13-64rlv9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435393/original/file-20211202-13-64rlv9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435393/original/file-20211202-13-64rlv9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435393/original/file-20211202-13-64rlv9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435393/original/file-20211202-13-64rlv9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/435393/original/file-20211202-13-64rlv9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students in the study were immersed in a VR sports store, which simulated reaching for the red T-shirt.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.doi.org/10.1177/00222437211059540">Luangrath, Peck, Hedgcock and Xu (2021)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Touch is a powerful tool for forming connections with products. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/598614">Companies have known this for years</a> and try to encourage consumers to touch products in their stores. Apple <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/06/14/why-the-new-macbook-pro-is-tilted-70-degrees-in-an-apple-store/?sh=2f6e42625a98">reportedly tilts laptop screens</a> in its stores to a specific angle to force consumers to touch them to have a comfortable viewing angle.</p>
<p>As more sales occur online, companies are trying to adjust to replicate the in-store sensory experience, such as by making return policies lenient so people know they can still try before they buy. <a href="https://www.ama.org/2017/09/20/lenient-return-policies-can-increase-sales/">Studies have found this strategy can increase sales</a>.</p>
<p>Sellers are also <a href="https://www.immersion.com">experimenting with other ways</a> to mimic the sense of touch to get consumers to form these critical connections with their products. For example, <a href="https://www.marketingdive.com/ex/mobilemarketer/cms/news/software-technology/19457.html">companies are testing ways to use haptic</a> or touch technologies to allow consumers to get sensory feedback on their mobile phones when they watch ads. </p>
<p>Our research suggests that observing a product being touched establishes a connection to the hand on screen doing the touching. This may create the sensation that the virtual hand is one’s own, which increases the feeling of psychological ownership over the product.</p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>We’ve studied how people perceive products that are being touched virtually, but we don’t know how this affects other consumer behaviors, such as returning a product. It’s possible that seeing someone else touch a product may backfire by creating high expectations for how a product feels but then fall short when consumers actually hold the product in their hands.</p>
<p>[<em>Too busy to read another daily email?</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=weekly&source=inline-toobusy">Get one of The Conversation’s curated weekly newsletters</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171915/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrea Luangrath does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New research shows people experience the ‘endowment effect’ of valuing an object more when they can touch it, even in virtual settings.Andrea Luangrath, Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of IowaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1707572021-10-29T12:39:16Z2021-10-29T12:39:16ZA Catholic theologian argues for a death row inmate’s right to have the pastor’s touch in the execution chamber<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429138/original/file-20211028-5716-py8gzb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C0%2C3463%2C2324&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Physical touch at the end of life has a special significance in many cultures and offers solace.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/death-so-near-in-france-a-patient-receives-support-from-her-news-photo/120396710?adppopup=true">Valerie Winckler/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/ramirez-v-collier/">U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments</a>
on <a href="https://www.kristv.com/news/local-news/ramirez-case-set-for-u-s-supreme-court-on-nov-9">Nov. 9, 2021</a>, in a case regarding a death row inmate’s plea that his Baptist pastor be allowed to lay hands on him in the execution chamber. The Supreme Court <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/08/1035383975/supreme-court-stay-of-execution-john-henry-ramirez-texas-pastor">blocked John Henry Ramirez’s execution</a> in September, about three hours after he could have been executed. Ramirez was convicted and sentenced to death for a 2004 robbery and the killing of a convenience store clerk in Corpus Christi, Texas. </p>
<p>Texas policy allows an approved spiritual adviser to be present in the execution chamber, but <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/08/1035383975/supreme-court-stay-of-execution-john-henry-ramirez-texas-pastor">there cannot be any physical contact</a> or vocal prayers during the execution. Ramirez has pleaded that this represents an infringement upon his religious liberty. </p>
<p>As a Catholic priest, ministering to the dying is at the core of my job. I have ministered to well over 150 people, from children to centenarians, in their final moments. At these times, I administer a set of ancient prayers and rituals that includes laying my hands on the dying person, anointing them with oil, reciting prayers for the dying and those they are leaving behind, reading Scripture and, if the person is conscious, <a href="https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/382/">giving them Holy Communion</a>, which Catholics believe is truly the body and blood of Christ.</p>
<p>But central to caring for the dying is touch.</p>
<h2>Touch as a primal instinct</h2>
<p>The laying of hands and, more specifically, physical touch at the end of life, holds special significance for many cultures because <a href="https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2001.01721.x">to touch is to reassure</a>. In my ministry with the dying, I have often witnessed how, when death is looming, the warmth and contact of a held hand can communicate deeply where words fail. </p>
<p>Touch is a primal instinct – a gesture of love and comfort that’s instilled in each of us since birth. Touch is a prime way in which <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2007.09.019_">mothers communicate with their babies</a>. Universally, people greet others with words but also touch, including handshakes, hugs, kisses or high-fives. </p>
<p>Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, people have found opportunities for physical connection – tapping elbows or <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-pandemics-mase-health-coronavirus-pandemic-50d84380a6e1c8801165d5b87141684d">giving fist bumps</a>. And a natural way to console is to not only say comforting words, but also to gently touch or hug. </p>
<h2>The power of spiritual touch</h2>
<p>Faith leaders often believe they have power that can be transferred to others through physical contact. The pioneering sociologist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emile-Durkheim">Emile Durkheim</a> deployed the Polynesian term “mana” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004349247_002">to describe a kind of spiritual energy</a> that, for many cultures, can be transmitted to others. </p>
<p>Durkheim was <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/29427/the-way-of-qigong-by-kenneth-s-cohen/">describing a belief</a> also found in other cultures, including the Chinese “qi” and Hindu “<a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198610250.001.0001/acref-9780198610250-e-1925?rskey=0Salgu&result=1901">prana</a>.” </p>
<p>When Catholic deacons and priests are ordained, the <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/23959782">bishop places his hands</a> on the top of their bowed heads. The “laying of hands” is a sacred and <a href="https://www.ltp.org/products/details/RLPR/real-presence">symbolic transfer of power</a> that transmits the power to administer sacraments and celebrate the Eucharist, the ritual reenactment of Jesus’ Last Supper. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429143/original/file-20211028-18-19446sd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Pope Francis putting his hand on the head of a priest bowing before him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429143/original/file-20211028-18-19446sd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429143/original/file-20211028-18-19446sd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429143/original/file-20211028-18-19446sd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429143/original/file-20211028-18-19446sd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429143/original/file-20211028-18-19446sd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429143/original/file-20211028-18-19446sd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429143/original/file-20211028-18-19446sd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Pope Francis performs the imposition of hands on the head of Italian priest Guido Marini, ordained Bishop of Tortona, during an episcopal ordination mass on Oct. 17, 2021, at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/pope-francis-performs-the-imposition-of-hands-on-the-head-news-photo/1235931229?adppopup=true">Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>Physical contact is associated with not only communicating love and divinity, <a href="https://www.ltp.org/products/details/RLPR/real-presenc">but also with healing</a> – the practical expression of divine love. <a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8">In the Bible</a>, Jesus heals by touch on at least 18 separate occasions. He cures people of blindness, leprosy and other ailments. As a <a href="https://dornsife.usc.edu/iacs/staff/">Catholic theologian</a>, I know that in all cases where Jesus touched people, or people touched him, they were not only restored to physical wholeness but <a href="https://www.pcusastore.com/Products/0664222811/gods-touch.aspxe">their rightful human dignity was also affirmed</a>. </p>
<h2>End of life and touch</h2>
<p>In our final moments, I believe, all people want to feel safe and consoled. Some meet their moment of death with tremendous resistance and a struggle to stay alive. Others go calmly. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429146/original/file-20211028-25-1cj1ct1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A bride holding the hand of a dying man on his bed with family members surrounding them." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429146/original/file-20211028-25-1cj1ct1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429146/original/file-20211028-25-1cj1ct1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429146/original/file-20211028-25-1cj1ct1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429146/original/file-20211028-25-1cj1ct1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429146/original/file-20211028-25-1cj1ct1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429146/original/file-20211028-25-1cj1ct1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/429146/original/file-20211028-25-1cj1ct1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Fidelity (Till death do us part), painting by William Pape, woodcut by Richard Bong from Moderne Kunst (Modern Art), illustrated magazine.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/fidelity-painting-by-william-pape-woodcut-by-richard-bong-news-photo/857344666?adppopup=true">De Agostini Picture Library/De Agostini via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>In my experience, a peaceful death happens when someone is surrounded by love – friends and family are there with them. In ways that are hard to describe well but are unmistakable, I have felt that love in the room. In these instances, death is not a violent conflict, but rather a peaceful, even joyful passage.</p>
<p>In the 1995 film “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/deadmanwalking.htm">Dead Man Walking</a>,” Sister Helen Prejean, a real-life Catholic nun played by Susan Sarandon, places her hands on the shoulder of convicted killer Matthew Poncelet, played by Sean Penn, as he walks to his execution.</p>
<p>“I want the last thing you see in this world to be the face of love,” Sr. Helen says to Poncelet. “So you look at me. I will be the face of love for you.”</p>
<p>Intentionally taking the life of another human being is <a href="https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/548">a grave sin</a>.
Ramirez has been found to be guilty of murder. But Scripture also says that <a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/18">there is no value in vengeance</a>. It is hard to find support for the death penalty in the teachings of Jesus, for whom peace lies in forgiveness and true salvation involves reconciliation. And according to Catholic teaching, <a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2018/08/02/180802a.html">capital punishment</a> is no longer ethically acceptable.</p>
<p>The message this sends to Catholics and people of faith is that they must hold high ideals when it comes to the feelings of other human beings enduring pain and suffering – even those who have committed dreadful crimes. </p>
<p>This means praying for and consoling not only the victim and their loved ones – but also the person responsible for the offense. Consolation can and should include touching them – including holding their hand or even embracing them as they die.</p>
<p>I do not pretend to know the nuances of state policy and federal law, but as a former minister at Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles, I’ve spent time with convicted murderers. I’ve prayed with them and listened to their confessions. I did not see violent killers consumed by evil. Rather, I saw human beings. </p>
<p>And I know, regardless of the crimes they committed and decisions they made, they too have rights bestowed on them simply because they are human. High among those rights is to meet their end with dignity.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170757/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dorian Llywelyn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When death is looming, the warmth of a held hand can communicate deeply where words fail.Dorian Llywelyn, President, Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and SciencesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1693442021-10-06T04:09:43Z2021-10-06T04:09:43ZHow do you feel? Your ‘sense of touch’ is several different senses rolled into one<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424900/original/file-20211006-23-1xgzsgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C523%2C2000%2C1703&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nick Moore/Unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>We have more than five senses. What you might think of as your sense of “touch” is actually a range of different sensory pathways that allow you to distinguish various types of mechanical forces, to detect changes in temperature, and to feel pain. </p>
<p>This year’s <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2021/summary/">Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine</a>, announced this week, went to US physiologist David Julius and Lebanese-born researcher Ardem Patapoutian, for revealing the mechanisms that underpin these various sensations of touch. So how do these mechanisms work?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nobel-prize-how-chilli-peppers-helped-researchers-uncover-how-humans-feel-pain-169227">Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain</a>
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<p>Our brains constantly process vast amounts of tactile and thermal information from our environment. As your hand wraps around your coffee cup in the morning, you can sense whether the coffee is too hot, just right for drinking, or has gone cold. You can feel the weight of the cup in your hand and the smoothness of its surface, and sense the positioning of your arm as you move to take a sip.</p>
<p>To make sense of all these stimuli, our bodies need to convert external environmental information into biological signals. This process begins at nerve cell endings in our skin. </p>
<p>On the surface of these nerve cells are specialised molecules called “ion channels” that can open in response to an environmental stimulus, resulting in a localised electrical signal. This signal can then be amplified into an electrical impulse that is transmitted via nerve cells to our brain, where it is interpreted as a sensation.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Hand holding steaming coffee mug" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424899/original/file-20211006-20-xykxw3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424899/original/file-20211006-20-xykxw3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424899/original/file-20211006-20-xykxw3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424899/original/file-20211006-20-xykxw3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424899/original/file-20211006-20-xykxw3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424899/original/file-20211006-20-xykxw3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424899/original/file-20211006-20-xykxw3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">We can sense the heat of a cup of coffee, as well as the position of our arm as we move to take a sip.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Clay Banks/Unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>Julius and Patapoutian made separate and equally significant contributions to our understanding of exactly which types of ion channels can act as sensory receptors. </p>
<p>In 1997, Julius and his team identified the first known receptor for heat, by investigating how cells respond to capsaicin, the chemical that causes the burning sensation when we eat hot chillies. </p>
<p>Their <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/39807">research</a> identified an ion channel known as TRPV1 as the receptor activated by capsaicin. What’s more, they demonstrated this receptor is also activated by high temperatures that we perceive as painful. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature719">Subsequent</a> <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(02)00652-9">research</a> has identified other members of the same family of ion channels that are each activated by a distinct temperature range. Thus, to sense different temperatures, our bodies use separate receptors to distinguish between painful or damaging heat or cold, and to sense moderate changes in temperature.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-eating-hot-chilli-peppers-actually-hurt-you-163489">Can eating hot chilli peppers actually hurt you?</a>
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<p>More than two decades later, in 2010, Patapoutian finally identified one of the receptors that responds to mechanical forces, enabling our sense of touch. He and his team <a href="https://www.science.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1193270">identified a receptor molecule</a> that responds to pressure, by using a fine probe to make tiny indentations in laboratory-cultured cells.</p>
<p>They named the ion channel PIEZO1, from the Greek word for pressure. They went on to demonstrate that a second ion channel, PIEZO2, is also required for our nerve cells to sense touch. When the surface of a sensory nerve cell is indented, both these receptor molecules change shape, initiating an electrical impulse. </p>
<p>What’s more, PIEZO2 receptors not only enable a sense of touch but also signal mechanical information from within our bodies. They thus allow us to detect stretching in our limbs so we can control our movement, and signal when our lungs are fully inflated or our bladder is full. </p>
<p>Research is still ongoing to discover whether our nerve cells have other mechanically activated ion channels that help us perceive our environment in other ways.</p>
<p>So when you next take a sip of hot coffee, or feel a cool breeze on your face, imagine those tiny receptor molecules in your nerve endings, working hard to deliver those signals to your brain so you can enjoy the world around you.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169344/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kate Poole receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) and the Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development (US Airforce Office of Scientific Research)</span></em></p>Nobel prizewinning research has revealed the various molecules that help us sense temperature, touch, pain, and even the positioning of our body parts.Kate Poole, Associate Professor in Physiology, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1692272021-10-05T12:04:36Z2021-10-05T12:04:36ZNobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain<p>Think about how often we sense touch or temperature. Perhaps its the warmth we feel when we hold a coffee cup, or the comfort we feel when hugging a loved one – these sensations are integral to our everyday lives and how we interact with our world. These sensations are all part of our somatosensory system, which is responsible for many different sensations – including temperature, touch, body position and movement, pain and itch. Some might say that the combined effects of our somatosensory system are the very essence of what it is to connect to the world around us, and to experience it. </p>
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<p>But until the late 1990s, little was known about how the body actually senses temperature and pressure. This is why the <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2021/summary/">2021 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine</a> was jointly awarded to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian, whose independent research uncovered the receptors which allow us to sense touch and temperature.</p>
<p>The discoveries made by Julius and Patapoutian help solve questions many people have been asking for years – showing us how these stimuli are converted into nerve signals at a molecular level. These discoveries may also have important implications for developing treatments for a variety of different conditions, including chronic pain, in the future. </p>
<h2>A bit of spice</h2>
<p>Both researchers began working on this topic in the 1990s, but were looking at it in different ways. Julius and his colleagues at the University of California were looking at a rather unconventional compound known as capsaicin, which is the chemical which causes the burning sensation we feel when we touch or eat chilli peppers. While researchers already knew capsaicin activated nerve cells that caused sensations of pain, Julius sought to uncover which sensors in the nerve endings actually respond to the heat from this compound.</p>
<p>Using lab-grown neurons – humans nerve cells – Julius and his team created a library of millions of DNA strands that corresponded to genes in the sensory neurons that react to pain, heat and touch. This eventually led them to identify a single gene that was responsible for <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9349813/">making cells sensitive</a> to capsaicin. The gene allows cells to build a protein called TRPV1 which led to these receptors perceiving the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9768840/">heat from capsaicin as painful</a>.</p>
<p>This was the first of many more temperature-sensing receptors Julius and his lab discovered. Using menthol, Julius identified TRPM8, a receptor shown to be <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature719">activated by cold</a>. He also used the chemical found in wasabi to identify TRPA1, which is triggered by pain. Julius’s TRPV1 discovery was a breakthrough which allowed further research into how temperature induces electrical signals in the nervous system.</p>
<p>Patapoutian, from the Scripps Research institute in California, uncovered the mechanisms which underpin our sense of touch. Patapoutian’s research first began when he and his team identified a type of cell that gave off an electrical signal when it was poked with a micropipette. But to understand more about these pressure-sensitive cells, Patapoutian and his team first needed to identify which receptor was responsible. </p>
<p>They started with 72 candidate genes, inactivating them one by one until they found that the single gene responsible for creating the protein which responds pressure on cell membranes – <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20813920/">known as Piezo1</a>. This discovery then led them to find a second gene, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25471886/">called Piezo2</a>, which functions similarly.</p>
<p>This decades-long search now means researchers understand the mechanisms underpinning our <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26551544/">sense of touch</a>. Piezo1 and Piezo2 both work to initiate an electrical signal that travels between cells and to the brain when our skin or internal organs are touched or feel pressure. </p>
<h2>The importance of these senses</h2>
<p>Mammals are the only organisms that have the ability to generate and maintain our internal body temperature. If our blood temperature falls below 27°C we’re in critical condition. It’s essential for survival to be able to sense temperature changes in our environment in order to maintain our core body temperature. It tells us that we should put a coat on if it’s cold outside, or not to touch a hot stove door so we don’t get hurt. </p>
<p>Julius’s discovery of the temperature sensitive receptors in our nerves means we now know how changes in our environment’s temperature is detected. Discovering both the receptors that detect heat – TRPV1 – and cold – TRPM8 – now means we may have targets for drugs to treat inflammation, itch, pain and cold allodynia (increased sensitivity to cold temperatures). </p>
<p>Our sense of touch is also extremely important to us for a number of reasons – not least of which because it allows us to enjoy a hug. Being able to detect a mechanical stimulus – the sense we call touch – is important to every tissue and cell in our body. It means that the body can monitor blood flow, a full stomach, or when our bladder is full. </p>
<p>Patapoutian’s research means that we now understand which receptors allow us to sense touch, which could have many implications for future treatments. Researchers are already targeting the proteins Patapoutian discovered for the treatment of pain conditions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169227/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Francis McGlone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>These discoveries could help us treat a variety of conditions in the future – including chronic pain.Francis McGlone, Professor in Neuroscience, Liverpool John Moores UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1657792021-08-16T12:10:21Z2021-08-16T12:10:21ZWhy we missed hugs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/415922/original/file-20210812-25200-1rcoxvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=52%2C26%2C3426%2C2294&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Not being able to hold and hug loved ones has been one of the more difficult parts of the pandemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/woman-hugs-her-friend-as-she-departs-at-hong-kong-news-photo/1234052378?adppopup=true">Alex Chan Tsz Yuk/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/great-grandmother-gets-to-hug-family-thanks-to-granddaughters-hug-time-invention/">Rose Gagnon</a> could not hug her grandchildren for several months.</p>
<p>Not being able to see and touch her loved ones every day because of COVID-19’s social distancing protocols was taking a toll on the mental health of the 85-year-old. Like many, she was feeling lonely and yearning for an emotional connection that had been hampered by the inability to embrace those most important to her.</p>
<p>That’s when Gagnon’s granddaughter Carly Marinaro devised an innovative solution in the form of a “hug time” device. Inside a frame made of PVC piping, Marinaro fashioned a see-through plastic barrier with two arm attachments, so that grandmother and granddaughter could share a hug while minimizing the risk of exposure to the coronavirus.</p>
<p>Like Gagnon, many Americans have missed the warmth of an embrace, the intimacy of a kiss or the calming feeling of holding someone’s hand. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its advice to stay 6 feet apart from others back in March 2020, that suddenly made affectionate touch a scarcity. </p>
<p>As a social scientist, I have been studying the communication of affection for over two decades. <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/affectionate-communication-in-close-relationships/11E2FEBA4692A64EEBBEFFE8DD99C489">Affectionate communication</a> comes in many forms, and not all of them have been curtailed by the pandemic. Even with social distancing, people can still say “I love you.” They can also share affectionate text messages and social media posts – and thanks to platforms such as Zoom and Skype, they can see each other’s faces and hear each other’s voices. The one experience it has not been able to facilitate, however, is touch. Individuals cannot hug their grandchildren, kiss their friends, or hold the hand of a dying loved one via Microsoft Teams or Google Hangout.</p>
<p>What people have suffered during the pandemic is “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764021997485">touch hunger</a>,” a colloquial term for what social scientists call “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2016.1176942">affection deprivation</a>”, a state in which individuals want or need more affection than they receive. And here’s why that matters. </p>
<h2>Touch hunger impairs well-being</h2>
<p>Similar to regular hunger, touch hunger serves as an alert that something important is missing – in this case, the sense of security, intimacy, and care that comes with tactile contact. As people have taken pains to socially distance, many have discovered the sense of deprivation that can accompany the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10570314.2014.927071?casa_token=6ocREO8_tQkAAAAA%3AP8VgNx6VBV2f4yvIEVpjYjNJWhvNdHMgPt6t-wCih7KqideOtgbpxkVNdTrAjnegJ7ElVMo73c7q">lack of affectionate touch</a>.</p>
<p>Touch hunger is essential to well-being throughout our life span. Psychologist <a href="https://ruthfeldmanlab.com/">Ruth Feldman</a> has demonstrated that <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-14742-015">touch is instrumental</a> for healthy physical and cognitive development beginning in infancy. During adulthood, affectionate touch contributes to both psychological health and the body’s ability to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868316650307">manage stress</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10570314.2020.1850851">reduce inflammation</a>. </p>
<p>And among the elderly, affectionate touch can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2019.1626320">enhance calmness and responsiveness</a> for those suffering from dementia. Touch is so powerful, in fact, that even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.04.001">imagining touch</a> can reduce stress and pain, according to psychologists <a href="https://thecollege.syr.edu/people/faculty/jakubiak-phd-brittany-k/">Brittany Jakubiak</a> and <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/psychology/people/core-training-faculty/feeney-brooke.html">Brooke Feeney</a>.</p>
<p>When people feel deprived of touch, therefore, it is understandable that their well-being can suffer. Even in normal times, touch hunger is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10570314.2014.927071">greater stress, anxiety and loneliness</a>; <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2016.1205641">lower-quality sleep</a>; and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2016.1176942">reduced satisfaction and closeness</a> in romantic relationships. Add to that the restrictions on touch introduced by COVID-19 and it makes sense why so many are suffering. In fact, research has demonstrated that the benefits of affectionate interaction – including touch – are heightened during experiences of distress. </p>
<p>Biological psychologist <a href="https://www.med.unc.edu/psych/directory/karen-grewen/">Karen Grewen</a> and her colleagues have shown that hugging a romantic partner reduces the extent to which stressful situations <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08964280309596065">elevate blood pressure and heart rate</a>, whereas psychologist <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/psychology/people/core-training-faculty/cohen-sheldon.html">Sheldon Cohen</a> and colleagues found that hugging protects the body against the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614559284">stress of a viral exposure</a>.</p>
<h2>Responding to a lack of affectionate touch</h2>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man shaking a dog's paw on World Animal Day in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2017." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/416082/original/file-20210813-24-loctu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For those missing human touch, sharing affection with pets can help.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/dog-festival-and-competition-dedicated-to-world-animal-day-news-photo/870748348?adppopup=true">Oleksandr Rupeta/NurPhoto via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Not everyone needs the same amount of affectionate touch, of course, any more than everyone needs the same amount of food or sleep. Like many characteristics, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02170075">the need for touch</a> varies from person to person, according to communication scholars <a href="https://isearch.asu.edu/profile/39762">Laura Guerrero</a> and <a href="https://communication.sdsu.edu/faculty_and_staff/profile/peter-a.-andersen">Peter Andersen</a>. Some people are even what Andersen calls “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00990960">touch avoidant</a>,” meaning they often find interpersonal touch stressful instead of pleasurable.</p>
<p>Receiving touch can be uncomfortable for those with physical conditions such as <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/what-does-rheuamtoid-arthritis-feel">rheumatoid arthritis</a>, or mental health conditions such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2013.09.010">autism spectrum disorder</a>. People who have been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19020212">traumatized</a> or sexually abused may also find touch to be triggering.</p>
<p>It is also worth noting that not all forms of touch are equally beneficial. Some perfunctory touches, such as a handshake, may be largely benign, whereas <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.01.003">aggressive or abusive touch</a> often precipitates long-term health detriments. </p>
<p>[<em>Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=100Ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>For those who are missing touch, however, research suggests some substitutes. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1163/15685306-12341374">Sharing affection with a pet</a> has stress-alleviating benefits. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.06.012">Self-massage</a>, such as of the hands or neck, can have calming and pain-reducing effects. Even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/EMBC44109.2020.9175900">hugging a pillow</a> reduces the brain’s experience of stress. These are all imperfect substitutes, to be sure, but until COVID-19 is a memory, they may be useful for those suffering from touch hunger.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/165779/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kory Floyd receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. </span></em></p>Lack of human touch can lead to greater stress, anxiety and loneliness – and that is what made the social distancing during the pandemic so hard for many.Kory Floyd, Professor of Communication, University of ArizonaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1652342021-08-02T14:03:24Z2021-08-02T14:03:24ZOur brains perceive our environment differently when we’re lying down<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413896/original/file-20210730-23-162v0dk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C17%2C5734%2C3811&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When we lie down, our brains rely more on touch and pressure to figure out our surroundings.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>You’re agitated by the sound of a mosquito buzzing around your head. The buzzing stops. You feel the tiny pinprick and locate the target. Whack! It’s over. </p>
<p>It’s a simple sequence, but it demands complex processing. How did you know where the mosquito was before you could even see it? </p>
<p>The human body is covered in about two square metres of skin, but somehow even before looking you knew the precise location of the spindly predator. After visual confirmation, your hand found its way to the scene of the crime and applied fatal force to the bug, but you didn’t hurt yourself in the process.</p>
<p>What did it take for all that to happen? Good question.</p>
<p>For all the advancements the world has seen in every field of science, including neuroscience, the mechanics of perception and thinking still elude complete understanding.</p>
<p>Even the list of basic human senses is still up for debate: beyond the five traditional senses, many argue that balance — the body’s mechanism for orienting itself in space — should have been included long ago. </p>
<h2>Balance while lying down</h2>
<p><a href="https://vislab.mcmaster.ca/facilities/the-eeg-lab-for-vision-multisensory-studies">My colleagues and I at McMaster University</a> have recently uncovered a wrinkle in our perception, which is allowing us to learn more about how that sense of balance works and how much it contributes to our perception.</p>
<p>The wrinkle is this: when we lie on our sides, the brain appears to dial down its reliance on information related to the external world and instead increase reliance on internal perceptions generated by touch.</p>
<p>For example, when we cross our arms, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0926-6410(02)00070-8">we have more difficulty sorting out whether a vibrator went off first in our right or left hand</a>. Somewhat surprisingly, when we close our eyes, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1163/22134808-00002423">performance improves</a>. Blindfolding degrades our representation of the external world, which allows our internal body-centred perception to dominate.</p>
<p>When people lie on their sides, their performance also improves with the hands crossed. </p>
<p>On its own, this information is not likely to affect daily life. But the fact that this difference exists is very meaningful in our quest to understand how we orient ourselves to the spaces we inhabit, and it may open avenues for discovery in other areas, including sleep, for example.</p>
<p>Our experiment was, in a way, quite straightforward. </p>
<h2>Blindfold experiments</h2>
<p>We tested sighted and blindfolded research participants’ ability to identify which hand we were stimulating first with their hands crossed and uncrossed. We have been doing similar experiments in our lab for about 20 years.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413796/original/file-20210729-21-s45hlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A blindfolded woman stands in a park with her hands held out in front of her" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413796/original/file-20210729-21-s45hlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/413796/original/file-20210729-21-s45hlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413796/original/file-20210729-21-s45hlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413796/original/file-20210729-21-s45hlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413796/original/file-20210729-21-s45hlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413796/original/file-20210729-21-s45hlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/413796/original/file-20210729-21-s45hlq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Experiments show that we perceive sensations differently when we’re blindfolded.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In this case, the results were consistent with what we’d seen in other experiments: participants’ performed worse when their hands were crossed. The novel manipulation here was when participants lay on their sides; when their hands were crossed we saw a drastic improvement in the ability to localize the touch. Like blindfolding, lying on the side reduced the influence of the external representation of the world and allowed participants to pay attention to their body-centred signals. </p>
<p>This difference, between doing the task upright and lying down, which we describe in <em>Scientific Reports</em>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92192-1">leads us to wonder if the brain deliberately dials down the most active orientation functions</a> — the external representation — when we lie down, possibly as a way to help us sleep. </p>
<h2>Environmental awareness</h2>
<p>The discovery leads us to want to know more about the role the body’s <a href="https://www.neuroscientificallychallenged.com/blog/know-your-brain-vestibular-system">vestibular system</a> appears to play in shaping our overall perception. In our inner ear, we have <a href="https://nobaproject.com/modules/the-vestibular-system">a little bit of ocean that came with us when we evolved from the sea</a>. We carry it around to assess gravity, so we can tell which way is up. Issues with this system can cause disorders such as vertigo.</p>
<p>Showing that the brain shifts its reference point toward interior perceptions whenever we lie on our sides, confirms that the brain is deliberately dimming the vestibular system, highlighting the importance of its contribution to our normal perception. </p>
<p>There has been surprisingly little research on how the vestibular system influences input from other senses. Consider this: MRI machines test people when they’re lying down and MRI results inform conclusions about what is happening in people’s brains, when in fact their brain activity might look quite different if they were sitting or standing. </p>
<p>This discovery indicates that the vestibular system shapes perception even in different senses. This raises questions that border on the philosophical: How are we aware of the environment around us? What are the components of consciousness? </p>
<p>We can take our bodies for granted, regarding them as machines for carrying us around, but our bodies themselves actually shape the way we perceive and understand the world. </p>
<p>Try thinking about that next time you’re lying down.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/165234/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David I. Shore consults to The multisensory Mind Inc. and has received funding, through McMaster University, from the Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Learning that our brains process information differently when we’re standing up or lying down has implications for how we study and assess brain function.David I. Shore, Professor, Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1571352021-07-12T15:12:53Z2021-07-12T15:12:53ZBelief in touch as salvation was stronger than fear of contagion in the Italian Renaissance<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408254/original/file-20210624-19-1szhl0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C10%2C2329%2C1352&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A sculpture of two saints meeting and embracing embodies the importance of touch in Renaissance culture as a form of devotion and ultimately a way to access the divine. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/24179">(Renaissance Polychrome Sculpture in Tuscany database)</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctvv41272">1399, a crowd gathered in the Tuscan city of Pisa</a>, even though people understood that a plague ravaging the area was contagious. Devotees travelled from town to town and carried a crucifix — a sculpture of Jesus on the cross — which the crowd longed to touch.</p>
<p>Authorities tried to ban the group but had to bow to public pressure.
A <a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/Cronache_di_Ser_Luca_Dominici_a_cura_di.html?id=4NRoygAACAAJ&redir_esc=y">witness</a> exclaimed, “Blessed is he who can touch it!” Those who could not reach the sculpture pelted it with offerings, including candles, so that these objects could touch it by proxy. </p>
<p>That year, in the midst of a plague, often hundreds of people gathered and fought to <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300176605/miraculous-image-renaissance-florence">touch and kiss</a> <a href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/24755">crucifixes</a>. The belief in touch as salvation was stronger than the fear of contagion. </p>
<p>As we are all too aware now, after over a year of social distancing due to COVID-19, touch was and is a much-desired privilege. In the Italian Renaissance, people longed to touch not only each other, but also religious sculptures — touch was a form of devotion.</p>
<h2>Accessing the sacred</h2>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408263/original/file-20210624-23-y5v1kp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Statue bust of a woman's head and shoulders." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408263/original/file-20210624-23-y5v1kp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408263/original/file-20210624-23-y5v1kp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=798&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408263/original/file-20210624-23-y5v1kp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=798&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408263/original/file-20210624-23-y5v1kp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=798&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408263/original/file-20210624-23-y5v1kp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1002&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408263/original/file-20210624-23-y5v1kp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1002&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408263/original/file-20210624-23-y5v1kp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1002&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sculpture of St. Anastasia with receptacle embedded in the chest that contains a relic of the saint. Made by the workshop of Matteo Civitale in the 1490s, housed in the Museo di Santa Maria Novella in Florence.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/24674">(Renaissance Polychrome Sculpture in Tuscany database)</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Renaissance Italy was home to <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520073500/jewish-life-in-renaissance-italy">Jews</a> and <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780809094356">Muslims</a>, as well as Christians.</p>
<p>For Christians in the Renaissance, <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9781935408116/christian-materiality">objects could be holy</a>, and so touching them was a way to access the sacred. The cult of relics illustrates this. Relics are physical remains of a saint, either of the saint’s body (such as bones) or of something the saint touched. </p>
<p>These holy physical things are housed in reliquaries, containers to protect and display relics. In the Italian Renaissance, reliquaries took the form of <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/use-and-perception-of-reliquary-busts-in-the-late-middle-ages/oclc/664742237">naturalistic sculptures</a> that seemed to bring the saint back to life. </p>
<p>Pilgrims travelled sometimes hundreds of miles on foot to reach these relics — and, for those who could afford it, buy a “contact relic,” which was made by submerging the relic in oil and then dipping a cloth into that oil. By touching that cloth, perhaps wearing it as a talisman, the believer was a part of a chain of physical contact that led to the divine.</p>
<p>Others touched reliquaries. A relic of St. Anastasia is embedded in a glass covered receptacle buried in the chest of a lively, blushing <a href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/24674">sculpture</a>, so that the faithful could see it. The lucky few could reach forward and touch the jewel-like container, as the martyr would seem to look with heavily lidded eyes, almost bemused at this rather intimate gesture.</p>
<h2>Sculptures with joints</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408721/original/file-20210628-21-h8gy5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Sculpture of Christ on the cross showing arm hinges." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408721/original/file-20210628-21-h8gy5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408721/original/file-20210628-21-h8gy5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408721/original/file-20210628-21-h8gy5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408721/original/file-20210628-21-h8gy5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408721/original/file-20210628-21-h8gy5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408721/original/file-20210628-21-h8gy5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408721/original/file-20210628-21-h8gy5l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Movable joints can be seen in this crucifix, which allowed devotees to take the figure of Christ down and embrace and kiss it. Sculpted by Donatello, c. 1408, housed in Santa Croce, Florence.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/24807">(Renaissance Polychrome Sculpture in Tuscany database)</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>People also longed to touch sculptures that did not have relics, including life-sized crucifixes, which in the Renaissance were sculptures of a <a href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/24807">muscular Jesus</a>, whose body is covered only by a small loincloth. Before Michelangelo, crucifixes were the public nudes in Renaissance cities. Many crucifixes hung high in churches, and <a href="https://archive.org/details/actasanctorum11unse/page/n887/mode/2up">Renaissance writers</a> describe saints miraculously elevated, so that they could embrace and kiss the sculpted body of Christ. </p>
<p>Some sculptures <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17432200.2018.1539578">have joints</a> in the shoulders, so that at the annual commemoration of Christ’s death (on Good Friday) devotees could take part in a sacred drama, in which the figure of Christ was taken down from the cross and mourned, wrapped in a shroud and placed in a tomb. </p>
<p>During <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/rqx.2020.217">this re-enactment</a>, a lucky few believers could embrace and kiss the sculpture and feel as if they had the ultimate privilege of touching Jesus’ body, reciting <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17432200.2018.1539578">the prayer</a>: “I, a sinner, am not worthy to touch you.”</p>
<h2>In the home</h2>
<p>Wealthy families had sculptures that they could <a href="https://www.google.ca/books/edition/At_Home_in_Renaissance_Italy/GhiFQgAACAAJ?hl=en">touch at home</a>, such as <a href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/24528">small crucifixes</a>, which often have feet worn down by repeated touch so that the toes are barely visible. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408269/original/file-20210624-21-1jiuep4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman in a headcovering embraces a baby." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408269/original/file-20210624-21-1jiuep4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408269/original/file-20210624-21-1jiuep4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408269/original/file-20210624-21-1jiuep4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408269/original/file-20210624-21-1jiuep4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408269/original/file-20210624-21-1jiuep4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408269/original/file-20210624-21-1jiuep4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408269/original/file-20210624-21-1jiuep4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus, originally kept in a home for private devotion. Made in c. 1400-1450 by Lorenzo Ghiberti, Filippo Brunelleschi or Nanni di Banco, and currently housed in the Museo Bandini in Fiesole.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/24189">(Renaissance Polychrome Sculpture database)</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Young women getting married or becoming nuns were given painted wooden life-sized <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo27405746.html">sculptures of baby Jesus</a> or another infant saint, which they would tend as if they were real infants, dressing them in luxurious clothing. </p>
<p><a href="https://archive.org/details/meditationsonlif0000bona">Meditational handbooks</a> told women to imagine that they were fondling baby Jesus. </p>
<p>Anyone who could afford it would have an image of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-08503-0_8">Virgin Mary and baby Jesus</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198816553.001.0001">in the bedroom</a>. These <a href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/24189">sculptures</a> place <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/sou.21.3.23206765">emphasis on touch</a>, as Mary and Jesus’ limbs are gently intertwined. </p>
<p>But wealthy parents rarely touched their children – infants were sent away to live with a <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315615813-14/parenting-palazzo-images-artifacts-children-italian-renaissance-home-stephanie-miller">wetnurse</a> until about the age of three, and <a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/Regola_del_governo_di_cura_familiare.html?id=_3ZJAAAAcAAJ&redir_esc=y">handbooks</a> on child rearing warned parents not to embrace their children when they returned home. So, in some cases, mothers may have touched sculptures of babies more than they touched their own children.</p>
<h2>Interacting with sculptures</h2>
<p>Though devotional touch was a privilege for the wealthy, practices of interacting with sculptures as if they were bodies of flesh and blood cut across social classes.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/28035">pair of life-sized painted terracotta sculptures</a> of the Virgin Mary and her husband Joseph watched over a stone crib at Florence’s orphanage, the <a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/Charity_and_Children_in_Renaissance_Flor.html?id=A--FKI-elMAC&redir_esc=y">Ospedale degli Innocenti</a>. Abandoned infants were placed temporarily in the care of these sculpted parents.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman in a simple red dress with hands folded in prayer next to a kneeling man." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408262/original/file-20210624-19-xev023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408262/original/file-20210624-19-xev023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408262/original/file-20210624-19-xev023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408262/original/file-20210624-19-xev023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408262/original/file-20210624-19-xev023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=633&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408262/original/file-20210624-19-xev023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=633&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408262/original/file-20210624-19-xev023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=633&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Babies abandoned at Florence’s orphanage were placed in a stone crib between these statues of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. Made by Marco della Robbia in c. 1500, and now housed in the Museo degli Innocenti in Florence.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/handle/1974/28035">(Renaissance Polychrome Sculpture in Tuscany database)</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The figure of Mary was sculpted only with a simple red under dress, with no cloak or veil, and so was likely <a href="https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Statue_vestite_e_snodate/JWZFbwAACAAJ?hl=en">dressed</a> in fabric clothing, probably donated by a local woman. Women would have also <a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/Religion_in_Social_Context_in_Europe_and.html?id=4Z_YAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y">dressed and undressed</a> this sculpture and others like it as an act of devotion, as it would be scandalous to have a man be so intimate with a sculpture of the Virgin Mary.</p>
<h2>Sculpted bodies inhabited cities</h2>
<p>Sculpted bodies inhabited Renaissance cities along with living people, filling Renaissance churches, watching over the streets and gracing the bedrooms of even moderately wealthy patricians. </p>
<p>In a society that was ambivalent about the proprieties of touching living flesh, touching sculpted bodies could offer comfort or even salvation. </p>
<p>Renaissance philosophers and clergymen <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470998434.ch6">argued that touch was sensual and earthy</a> and that supposedly weak-minded women and children were more in need of such physical aids in their devotions than educated men.</p>
<p>But ultimately, touching art was a privilege, a way of touching the divine.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157135/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Una Roman D'Elia receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>After a year of pandemic social distancing, we know touch is a much-desired privilege. In the Italian Renaissance, people longed to touch not only each other, but also religious sculptures.Una Roman D'Elia, Professor, Art History and Art Conservation, Queen's University, OntarioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1609352021-05-17T13:09:59Z2021-05-17T13:09:59ZFour health benefits of hugs – and why they feel so good<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401033/original/file-20210517-23-c14522.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C0%2C5973%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Our sense of touch is important for creating and maintaining social bonds.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/african-american-couple-wear-medical-face-1952299942">DimaBerlin/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For many people, the thing they’ve missed most during the pandemic is being able to hug loved ones. Indeed, it wasn’t until we lost our ability to hug friends and family did many realise just how important touch is for many aspects of our health – <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_physical_touch_matters_for_your_well_being">including our mental health</a>. </p>
<p>But now that vaccine programmes are being rolled out and restrictions are beginning to ease in much of the UK, many people will be keen to hug again. And the good news is that not only do hugs feel good – they also have many health benefits.</p>
<p>The reason hugs feel so good has to do with our sense of touch. It’s an extremely important sense which allows us not only to physically explore the world around us, but also to communicate with others by creating and <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/82120998.pdf">maintaining social bonds</a>.</p>
<p>Touch consists of two distinct systems. The first is “fast-touch”, a system of nerves which allows us to rapidly detect contact (for example, if a fly landed on your nose, or you touched something hot). The second system is “slow-touch”. This is a population of recently discovered nerves, called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763408001693">c-tactile afferents</a>, which process the emotional meaning of touch.</p>
<p>These c-tactile afferents have essentially evolved to be “cuddle nerves” and are typically activated by a very specific kind of stimulation: a gentle, skin-temperature touch, the kind typical of a hug or caress. We see c-tactile afferents as the neural input stage in signalling the rewarding, pleasurable aspects of social tactile interactions such as hugging and touching. </p>
<p>Touch is the first sense to start working in the womb (around 14 weeks). From the moment we’re born, the gentle caress of a mother has multiple health benefits, such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938418308126">lowering heart rate</a> and promoting the growth of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2865952/">brain cell connections</a>.</p>
<p>When someone hugs us, the stimulation of c-tactile afferents in our skin sends signals, via the spinal cord, to the brain’s emotion processing networks. This induces a cascade of neurochemical signals, which have proven health benefits. Some of the neurochemicals include the hormone <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01529/full">oxytocin</a>, which plays an important role in social bonding, slows down heart rate and reduces stress and anxiety levels. The release of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763420306898?via%25253Dihub">endorphins</a> in the brain’s reward pathways supports the immediate feelings of pleasure and wellbeing derived from a hug or caress.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young girl runs to hug her grandpa, who is wearing a mask outdoors." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401034/original/file-20210517-15-ztze7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401034/original/file-20210517-15-ztze7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401034/original/file-20210517-15-ztze7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401034/original/file-20210517-15-ztze7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401034/original/file-20210517-15-ztze7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401034/original/file-20210517-15-ztze7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401034/original/file-20210517-15-ztze7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hugging releases many important neurochemicals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/virus-rules-stay-there-grandfather-granddaughter-1703507518">Mladen Zivkovic/ Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Hugging has such a relaxing and calming effect that it also benefits our health in other ways.</p>
<p><strong>It improves our sleep:</strong>
From the benefits of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31655427/">co-sleeping</a> with infants to <a href="https://www.sleep.org/cuddling-and-sleep/">cuddling your partner</a>, gentle touch is known to regulate our sleep, as it lowers levels of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a key regulator of our sleep-wake cycle but also increases when we’re stressed. So it’s no wonder high levels of stress can delay sleep and cause fragmented <a href="https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/full/10.5664/jcsm.7100">sleep patterns or insomnia</a>.</p>
<p><strong>It reduces reactivity to stress:</strong>
Beyond the immediate soothing and pleasurable feelings provided by a hug, social touch also has longer-term benefits to our health, making us <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ejn.14951">less reactive to stress</a> and building resilience. </p>
<p>Nurturing touch, during early developmental periods, produces higher levels of oxytocin receptors and lower levels of cortisol in brain regions that are vital for <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01529/full">regulating emotions</a>. Infants that receive high levels of nurturing contact grow up to be less reactive to stressors and show <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0045446">lower levels of anxiety</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Increases wellbeing and pleasure:</strong>
Across our lifespan, social touch bonds us together and helps <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306452220307405">maintain our relationships</a>. As noted, this is because it releases endorphins, which makes us see hugs and touch as rewarding. Touch provides the “glue” that holds us together, underpinning our physical and emotional wellbeing. </p>
<p>And when touch is desired, the benefits are shared by both people in the exchange. In fact, even stroking your pet can have benefits on health and wellbeing – with oxytocin levels increasing in both the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5645535/">pet and the owner</a>.</p>
<p><strong>It could help us fight off infections:</strong>
Through regulation of our hormones – including oxytocin and cortisol – touching and hugging can also affect our body’s immune response. Whereas high levels of stress and anxiety can suppress our ability to <a href="http://www.sakkyndig.com/psykologi/artvit/segerstrom2004.pdf">fight infections</a>, close, supportive <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/imm.12341">relationships benefit health and well-being</a>. </p>
<p>Research even suggests that cuddling in bed could <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25526910/">protect us against the common cold</a>. By monitoring hugging frequency among just over 400 adults who were then exposed to a common cold virus, researchers found the “huggers” won hands-down in being less likely to get a cold. And even if they did, they had less severe symptoms.</p>
<h2>Hug it out</h2>
<p>While it’s important we continue to keep ourselves safe, it’s equally as important that we don’t give up hugs forever. Social isolation and loneliness are known to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1745691614568352?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&amp;rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&amp;rfr_dat=cr_pub%252520%2525200pubmed">increase our chances of premature death</a> – and perhaps future research should investigate whether it’s a lack of hugs or social touch that may be driving this. Touch is an instinct that is all-around beneficial for our <a href="https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(14)00387-0">mental and physical health</a> – so we should celebrate its return.</p>
<p>Of course, not everyone craves a hug. So for those that don’t, there’s no reason to worry about missing out on the benefits of hugs – as giving yourself a hug has also been shown to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006899314001395">regulate emotional processes</a> and reduce stress.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160935/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Francis McGlone has received funding from The Leverhulme Trust, BIAL, </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susannah Walker receives funding from The Leverhulme Trust and BIAL. </span></em></p>Touch is the first sense to develop in the womb.Francis McGlone, Professor in Neuroscience, Liverpool John Moores UniversitySusannah Walker, Senior Lecturer, Natural Sciences & Psychology, Liverpool John Moores UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1597042021-04-27T04:28:11Z2021-04-27T04:28:11ZYearning for touch — a photo essay<p>In late November, I led a participatory performance, <a href="https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/events/past-events/Antidote/2020/cherine-fahd.html">A Proxy for a Thousand Eyes</a>, at the Sydney Opera House. Among the performers were three videographers and two photographers. Their role was to record a loosely choreographed routine of touching between myself and the participants who joined me at the specially designed, Covid-safe screens. </p>
<p>The pandemic has highlighted the desire and need for physical contact and the integral role touch plays in socialisation and well-being. COVID-19 has not only forced us to be physically apart but to perceive bodies — both our own and others — as risky. </p>
<p>Despite the risks, I was commissioned by the Sydney Opera House to respond creatively to the pandemic. My approach focused on social distancing and its alienating impact on communal gathering. Shielded by vinyl plastic, complete with the ritual of hand sanitising, I persuaded 50 people to act as my touching playmates on the day. Some were friends and acquaintances. Many were strangers. </p>
<p>Each participant was separated from me by a sheet of plastic. I stood on one side and they stood on the other. Despite the squeaking and slippery sensation of the plastic, I made sure the palms of our hands connected, our fingers and faces conjoined, the tips of our noses and lips caressed. </p>
<p>At the heart of this work is the desire to feel good. In a year of great uncertainty and grief, creativity has an enormous role to play in articulating the unspeakable, the unthinkable and what is often suppressed in traumatic times. </p>
<p>I wanted first and foremost for the participants to feel safe, to feel cared for and to trust me. And in return, to touch me so we could be together and safely apart. </p>
<p>The photographs and footage revealed the most tender encounters. An intimate and playful game of surrender is now a ten-minute video piece portraying touching as a form of public yearning.</p>
<p><em>Cherine Fahd’s ten-minute video piece Play Proximus will feature in Returning: Chapter 1 on <a href="https://stream.sydneyoperahouse.com/digital-originals/videos/coming-soon-to-stream">Stream</a>, part of Sydney Opera House’s new digital commissions launching on 30 April 2021 co-presented with the Japan Foundation Sydney.</em></p>
<p><em>An essay reflecting on this project will appear in Dystopian and Utopian Impulses in Art Making: The World We Want, edited by Grace McQuilten and Daniel Palmer, to be published by Intellect in 2022.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159704/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cherine Fahd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>At a time of pandemic, an extraordinary photographic project unfolded between sheets of clear plastic.Cherine Fahd, Associate Professor, School of Design, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1523492020-12-28T13:32:28Z2020-12-28T13:32:28Z7 research-based resolutions that will help strengthen your relationship in the year ahead<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498728/original/file-20221202-16594-93wqvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=90%2C98%2C4792%2C3121&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Consider some science-backed ways to keep the home fires burning in 2023.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/senior-couple-holding-numbers-2023-while-royalty-free-image/1431943120">DjordjeDjurdjevic/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The new year is going to be better. It has to be better. Maybe you’re one of the <a href="https://www.finder.com/new-years-resolution-statistics">74% of Americans</a> in one survey who said they planned on hitting the reset button on Jan. 1 and resolving to improve. Those <a href="http://maristpoll.marist.edu/marist-poll-national-results-analysis-4/">New Year’s resolutions most commonly focus on</a> eating healthier, exercising, losing weight and being a better person. </p>
<p>Admirable goals, to be sure. But focusing on body and mind neglects something equally important: your romantic relationship. Couples with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00393.x">better marriages report higher well-being</a>, and one study found that having a better romantic relationship not only promoted well-being and better health now but that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08952841.2020.1838238">those benefits extend into the future</a>. </p>
<p>The lesson is clear: Your relationship is important. Resolve to get it right. </p>
<p>That doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. But here are seven resolutions based on recent psychological research that you can make this New Year to help keep your relationship going strong. </p>
<h2>1. Set yourself up for success</h2>
<p>Adjust your mindset so you see your relationship as a key <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2005.00373.x">source of positive experiences</a>. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=v2ai_5wAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Psychologists like me</a> call this boosting your social approach motivation. Instead of merely trying to avoid relationship problems, those with an approach motivation seek out the positives and <a href="http://peplab.web.unc.edu/files/2020/11/Don-Fredrickson-Algoe-JPSP-In-press-Approach-Paper-In-Press-.pdf">use them to help the relationship</a>.</p>
<p>Here’s how: Imagine a conversation with your partner. Having more of an approach motivation allows you to focus on positive feelings as you talk and to see your partner as more responsive to you. Your partner gets a burst of positivity, too, and in return sees you as more responsive. One partner’s good vibes spill over to the other partner, ultimately benefiting both. After a year when your relationship may have felt unprecedented external strains, laying the foundation to take advantage of any positives is good place to start. </p>
<h2>2. Be optimistic</h2>
<p>While things in the past may not have always gone how you wanted, it’s important to be optimistic about the future. But the right kind of optimism matters. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12342">2020 research study</a> from <a href="https://cns.utexas.edu/directory/item/84-human-dev-family-sci/3008-farnish-krystan?Itemid=349">Krystan Farnish</a> and <a href="https://cns.utexas.edu/directory/item/14-human-ecology/259-neff-lisa-a?Itemid=349">Lisa Neff</a> found that generally looking on the bright side of life allowed participants to deal with relationship conflict more effectively – as they put it, better able to “shake it off” – than did those who were optimistic specifically about their relationship.</p>
<p>It seems that if people focus all their rosy expectations just on their relationship, it encourages them to anticipate few negative experiences with their partner. Since that’s unrealistic even in the best relationships, it sets them up for disappointment. </p>
<h2>3. Increase your psychological flexibility</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.06.006">Try to go with the flow</a>. In other words, work on accepting your feelings without being defensive. It’s OK to adjust your behaviors – you don’t always have to do things the way you always have or go the places you’ve always gone. Stop being stubborn and experiment with being flexible.</p>
<p>A 2020 study by <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Karen_Twiselton">Karen Twiselton</a> and colleagues found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12344">when you’re more flexible psychologically</a>, relationship quality is higher, in part because you experience more positive and fewer negative emotions. For example, navigating the yearly challenge of holidays and family traditions is a relationship minefield. However, if both partners back away from a “must do” mentality in favor of a more adaptable approach, relationship harmony will be greater. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376237/original/file-20201221-19-5dpxqg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="couple calmly enjoying tea together" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376237/original/file-20201221-19-5dpxqg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376237/original/file-20201221-19-5dpxqg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376237/original/file-20201221-19-5dpxqg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376237/original/file-20201221-19-5dpxqg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376237/original/file-20201221-19-5dpxqg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376237/original/file-20201221-19-5dpxqg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376237/original/file-20201221-19-5dpxqg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When you’re both in a good headspace, it’s easier to keep the relationship moving in the right direction.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/couple-asian-young-adult-feeling-relax-making-and-royalty-free-image/1283799454">skaman306/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>4. It’s OK to put ‘me’ before ‘we’</h2>
<p>It’s easy for some people to play the self-sacrificing martyr in their romantic relationship. If this sounds like you, try to focus more on yourself. It doesn’t make you a bad person or a bad partner. When you’re psychologically healthy, your partner and your relationship also benefit. </p>
<p>Researchers have identified <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000231">four main traits that are part of good mental health</a>: openness to feelings, warmth, positive emotions and straightforwardness. These traits help with being more clear about who you are, feeling better about who you are, expressing greater optimism and less aggression, exploiting others less and exhibiting less antisocial behavior. You can see how what’s good for you in this case would be good for your partner too.</p>
<h2>5. Do something for your partner</h2>
<p>But it’s not all about you. Putting your partner first some of the time and catering to your partner’s desires is part of being a couple. A 2020 study by <a href="https://carleton.ca/psychology/people/johanna-peetz/">Johanna Peetz</a> and colleagues found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12357">prioritizing your partner</a> makes you feel closer to them, increases positive feelings, reduces negative ones and boosts perceived relationship quality. </p>
<p>In the new year, look for ways to give your partner some wins. Let them get their way from time to time and support them in what they want to do, without exclusively prioritizing your own wants and needs. </p>
<h2>6. Don’t be so hard on yourself</h2>
<p>So many New Year’s resolutions focus on body image. Aspirations to eat better and work out often stem from the same goal: a hotter body. Yet, research from <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Xue_Lei8">Xue Lei</a> shows that you may not really know what your partner wants you to look like.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12451">Women tend to overestimate how thin</a> male partners want them to be. Similarly, men believe that female partners want them to be more muscular than women say they do. It may seem harmless, but in both cases individuals are more critical and demanding toward themselves, in part based on misreading what a partner truly desires.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376239/original/file-20201221-13-1snhov6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="couple embrace while sitting on the grass" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376239/original/file-20201221-13-1snhov6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376239/original/file-20201221-13-1snhov6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376239/original/file-20201221-13-1snhov6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376239/original/file-20201221-13-1snhov6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376239/original/file-20201221-13-1snhov6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376239/original/file-20201221-13-1snhov6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376239/original/file-20201221-13-1snhov6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Caring physical contact has a lot of upsides for your relationship.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/gay-couple-latino-and-european-millennial-men-royalty-free-image/1159681114">Drazen_/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>7. Stay in touch</h2>
<p>I saved the easiest item on the list for last: Touch your partner more. When <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cheryl_Carmichael">Cheryl Carmichael</a> and colleagues followed 115 participants over a 10-day period, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550620929164">they found that initiating and receiving touch</a> – things like holding hands, cuddling, kissing – were associated with both a boost in closeness and relationship quality. Importantly, being touched by your partner has the added benefit of making you feel more understood and validated. Who couldn’t use more of that in the coming year?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152349/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gary W. Lewandowski Jr. does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Psychology studies suggest a variety of ways you can strengthen your bond and increase your satisfaction with your partner.Gary W. Lewandowski Jr., Professor of Psychology, Monmouth UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1491592020-11-12T19:50:13Z2020-11-12T19:50:13ZNo, a hug isn’t COVID-safe. But if you have to do it, here’s what to keep in mind<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367663/original/file-20201105-15-1krcvwp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5455%2C3645&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the time of COVID, greetings are no longer by handshakes, hugs or kisses on the cheek. An “elbow bump” is the preferred pandemic greeting.</p>
<p>Although COVID transmission in Australia is now minimal and restrictions are easing, <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/how-to-protect-yourself-and-others-from-coronavirus-covid-19/physical-distancing-for-coronavirus-covid-19#">keeping 1.5 metres apart</a> from people outside your household is still strongly encouraged — meaning hugging is therefore discouraged.</p>
<p>Some people who live alone may by now have gone months without touching or hugging another person.</p>
<p>While avoiding close contact with others is one of the key measures to prevent virus spread, the irony is we probably need a hug more in 2020 than ever before. So how dangerous is a hug really in the time of COVID?</p>
<h2>Human contact is important</h2>
<p>Our first contact in life is essentially the hug; newborn babies are constantly cradled, nursed and cuddled. </p>
<p>We are principally social creatures, and this need for human contact continues into <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.2466/02.17.21.CP.1.13">childhood and adulthood</a>.</p>
<p>Culturally, hugging plays an important role as an affectionate greeting <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.2466/02.17.21.CP.1.13">in many countries</a>.</p>
<p>Its value is clearly demonstrated in European countries such as Italy, France and Spain, where hugging is common. It’s little surprise many Europeans are finding the new way of living with COVID <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/cheek-kiss-coronavirus/2020/05/15/2df3e28a-93bf-11ea-87a3-22d324235636_story.html">hard to accept</a>.</p>
<p>Australians, too, tend to hug members of their families and close social circle. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nice-to-meet-you-now-back-off-how-to-socially-distance-without-seeming-rude-134250">Nice to meet you, now back off! How to socially distance without seeming rude</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>While the act of hugging may give us a feeling of happiness and security, there’s actually science behind the benefits of hugging for our <a href="https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2018/february/affection">mental health and well-being</a>.</p>
<p>Research shows <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD003519.pub4/full">skin-to-skin contact</a> from birth enables babies’ early ability to develop feelings and social skills, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4235060/">reduces stress</a> for both mother and baby.</p>
<p>When we hug someone, a hormone called <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15834840/">oxytocin</a> is released. This “cuddle hormone” fosters bonding, <a href="https://www.livescience.com/35219-11-effects-of-oxytocin.html">reduces stress</a> and can <a href="http://library.allanschore.com/docs/05_Grewen_OxytocinWarmPartnerContact.pdf">lower blood pressure</a>.</p>
<p>Positive touch, such as hugging, also releases the “happy chemical” <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4293164/">serotonin</a>. Low levels of serotonin, and of a related happy hormone called dopamine, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178908000438#bib39">can be associated</a> with depression, anxiety and poor mental health.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=793&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=793&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=793&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>“<a href="https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20200615/how-to-cope-when-covid-steals-loving-touch-hugs">Touch deprivation</a>” has become a serious consequence from the pandemic and may have affected many people’s mental health, particularly those living alone or in unstable relationships.</p>
<p>Not only are we missing out on the positive emotions a hug can provide, but we’re not getting the biochemical and physiological benefits either. </p>
<h2>Can you hug wisely?</h2>
<p>SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, is primarily spread from person to person through <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-brief-sars-cov-2.html#:%7E:text=Droplet%20transmission%20is%20infection%20spread,generally%20within%20about%206%20feet">respiratory droplets</a> emitted when an infectious person coughs, sneezes, talks or even breathes.</p>
<p>We know we can contract COVID <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-brief-sars-cov-2.html">through close contact with an infected person</a>, so the act itself is quite risky if you, or the person you’re hugging, is infectious. But we can’t always identify who has the virus, making the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission via a hug difficult to assess.</p>
<p>Given people who are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32491919/">asymptomatic</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-23/difference-between-asymptomatic-and-pre-symptomatic-coronavirus/12483404">presymptomatic</a> have been shown to be able to spread the virus, a simple hug may have serious consequences.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A mother hugs a young boy." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367667/original/file-20201105-21-kmnqe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/367667/original/file-20201105-21-kmnqe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367667/original/file-20201105-21-kmnqe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367667/original/file-20201105-21-kmnqe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367667/original/file-20201105-21-kmnqe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367667/original/file-20201105-21-kmnqe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/367667/original/file-20201105-21-kmnqe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Hugging forms bonds.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Xavier Mouton Photographie/Unsplash</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ultimately, all experts agree: <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html">best practice</a> is to avoid physical contact with people not in your own household.</p>
<p>If you absolutely must hug someone, there are some things you should keep in mind to <a href="https://blogs.webmd.com/public-health/20200831/how-dangerous-is-hugging-during-covid19">minimise the risk</a> of transmission.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/miss-hugs-touch-forms-bonds-and-boosts-immune-systems-heres-how-to-cope-without-it-during-coronavirus-137612">Miss hugs? Touch forms bonds and boosts immune systems. Here’s how to cope without it during coronavirus</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>6 tips to limit the risk</h2>
<ul>
<li><p>Don’t hug anyone showing COVID symptoms, or if you have any symptoms</p></li>
<li><p>don’t hug a <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/advice-for-people-at-risk-of-coronavirus-covid-19">vulnerable person</a> (the elderly, immunocompromised and those with other medical conditions), as these people will be at higher risk if they contract COVID</p></li>
<li><p>when hugging another healthy person, avoid pressing your cheeks together; instead, turn your face in the opposite direction</p></li>
<li><p>wear a mask</p></li>
<li><p>hold your breath if you can. That way you can avoid transmitting or inhaling infectious respiratory droplets during the hug</p></li>
<li><p>wash or sanitise your hands before and after the hug</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Other ways to get your warm and fuzzies</h2>
<p>Contact with animals can provide similar <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/7-ways-pets-improve-your-mental-health#:%7E:text=Pets%20reduce%20stress,you%20relax%20and%20practice%20mindfulness">mental health benefits</a> to hugging, and also <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/175303711X13045914865385">increases oxytocin</a>. These are among the reasons pet therapy is used for people who are elderly or sick.</p>
<p>Maintaining social interactions and connections in the absence of direct touch can help too. <a href="https://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/staying-connected-while-social-distancing-isolation-loneliness-technology-physical-connection-community-family-friends">Virtual gatherings</a> can have a positive effect on people’s well-being during isolation, and now we’re increasingly able to gather in person again.</p>
<p>The pandemic has made us all realise how important social and physical contact can be to our health and well-being. While we may now appreciate the humble hug more than we did before, for the time being it’s safer to seek emotional support in other ways.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/kissing-can-be-dangerous-how-old-advice-for-tb-seems-strangely-familiar-today-140172">'Kissing can be dangerous': how old advice for TB seems strangely familiar today</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149159/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors would like to thank Lorena Herrero BSSc (Sociology/Anthropology) for her valuable input in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elina Panahi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The loss of the simple act of hugging has taken a big emotional toll for many people during the pandemic.Lara Herrero, Research Leader in Virology and Infectious Disease, Griffith UniversityElina Panahi, PhD Candidate, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1417522020-08-04T12:19:14Z2020-08-04T12:19:14ZThe loneliness of social isolation can affect your brain and raise dementia risk in older adults<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350471/original/file-20200730-25-1t823qb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=302%2C372%2C4648%2C3073&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In healthy older people, loneliness has a pattern of stress response similar to that of people who are under chronic stress. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/senior-woman-looking-out-of-her-bedroom-window-at-royalty-free-image/1218053691">Justin Paget via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Physical pain is unpleasant, yet it’s vital for survival because it’s a warning that your body is in danger. It tells you to take your hand off a hot burner or to see a doctor about discomfort in your chest. Pain reminds us all that we need to take care of ourselves.</p>
<p>Feeling lonely is the social equivalent to feeling physical pain. It even triggers the same pathways in the brain that are involved in processing <a href="https://doi.org/10.2217/pmt.15.56">emotional responses to physical pain</a>. </p>
<p>Just like feeling physical pain, feeling lonely and disconnected from others is also a signal that we need to take care of ourselves by seeking the safety and comfort of companionship. But what happens when we are unable to find companionship and the loneliness persists?</p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=00f7MKUAAAAJ&hl=en">scholars</a> at the <a href="https://healthyaging.psu.edu/">Center for Healthy Aging</a> at Penn State, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ePjpIxYAAAAJ&hl=en">we study</a> the impact of stress on the aging body and brain, including how it can worsen cognitive decline and risk for dementia. The social isolation older adults are experiencing now amid the coronavirus pandemic is raising new mental health risks, but there are things people can do to protect themselves. </p>
<h2>The health consequences of loneliness</h2>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic has put many older adults’ social lives on hold, leaving them at greater risk for <a href="http://doi.org/10.26633/RPSP.2020.81">loneliness</a>. They know they face a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/older-adults.html">higher risk of developing severe symptoms</a> from COVID-19, so many are staying home. Restaurant closures and limits on visitors to assisted living centers have made it harder to see family and friends. </p>
<p>But even prior to the pandemic, public health experts were concerned about the prevalence and health impacts of loneliness in the U.S. Loneliness affects <a href="https://doi.org/10.17226/25663">between 19% and 43%</a> of adults ages 60 and older, and many adults ages 50 and over are at risk of poor health from prolonged loneliness. </p>
<p>Research has shown that prolonged loneliness is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691614568352">increased risk for premature death</a>, similar to smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity. Other health consequences are also associated with loneliness, including <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2015-309242">elevated risk for heart disease and stroke</a>, and it is associated with increased <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302427">physician visits</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02960.x">emergency room visits</a>.</p>
<h2>Loneliness can affect brain health and mental sharpness</h2>
<p>Older adults who are socially isolated or feel lonely also tend to <a href="http://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610214002749">perform worse on tests of thinking abilities</a>, especially when required to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.5174">process information rapidly</a>. And those who feel lonely show <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.4495">more rapid decline</a> in performance on these same tests over several years of follow-up testing. </p>
<p>It is thought that loneliness may contribute to cognitive decline through <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci7060056">multiple pathways</a>, including physical inactivity, symptoms of depression, poor sleep and increased blood pressure and inflammation.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An illustration of beta amyloid and tau proteins among neurons in the brain." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350907/original/file-20200803-20-knqfm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350907/original/file-20200803-20-knqfm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350907/original/file-20200803-20-knqfm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350907/original/file-20200803-20-knqfm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350907/original/file-20200803-20-knqfm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350907/original/file-20200803-20-knqfm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350907/original/file-20200803-20-knqfm4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Abnormal levels of beta-amyloid protein in the brain form plaques (brown in this illustration) between neurons, disrupting cells. Tau protein can form tangles (blue) within neurons, harming neural communication.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nihgov/38686503251/in/photolist-221rBUe-21WArAK">National Institute on Aging, NIH</a></span>
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<p>Loneliness has also been found to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2019.03.002">increase the risk of developing dementia</a> by as much as 20%. In fact, loneliness has an <a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31363-6">influence similar to other more well-established dementia risk factors</a> such as diabetes, hypertension, physical inactivity and hearing loss. </p>
<p>Although the underlying neural mechanisms are not fully understood, loneliness has been linked with the two key brain changes that occur in Alzheimer’s disease: the buildup of <a href="http://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.2657">beta-amyloid</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-018-0345-x">tau</a> proteins in the brain. Other indicators of psychological distress, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12116">repetitive negative thinking</a>, have also be linked with the buildup of beta-amyloid and tau in the brain. Theories suggest that loneliness and other psychological stressors act to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9358-8_20">chronically trigger the biological stress response</a>, which in turn appears to increase beta-amyloid and tau accumulation in the brain.</p>
<h2>How loneliness can contribute to disease</h2>
<p>The evidence suggests that prolonged feelings of loneliness are detrimental to health. So, how do those feelings get converted into disease? </p>
<p>Feeling lonely and socially isolated can contribute to <a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.01.020">unhealthy behaviors</a> such as getting too little exercise, drinking too much alcohol and smoking.</p>
<p>Loneliness is also an important <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037618">social stressor</a> that can activate the body’s stress responses. When prolonged, that response can lead to increased inflammation and reduced immunity, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1159/000156468">particularly in older adults</a>. Inflammation is the body’s response to fight off infection or heal an injury, but when it continues unchecked it can have a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0675-0">harmful impact on health</a>. Stress hormones play an important role in making sure that inflammation doesn’t get out of control. But, under chronic stress, the body becomes less sensitive to the effects of the stress hormones, leading to increased inflammation and eventually disease. </p>
<p>In healthy older people, loneliness is related to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.05.024">a stress hormone pattern similar</a> to that of people who are under chronic stress. This altered pattern in the stress response explained why people who were lonelier had poorer attention, reasoning and memory ability.</p>
<h2>Social activity can buffer against the decline</h2>
<p>Maintaining high quality relationships may be a key for protecting brain health from the negative impacts of loneliness. </p>
<p>Older adults who feel more satisfied in their relationships have a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/psy.0b013e3181f5e121">23% lower risk of dementia</a>, while those who feel their relationships are supportive have a 55% lower risk of dementia, compared to those who feel dissatisfied or unsupported in their relationships. </p>
<p>Maintaining social activity also buffers against <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/s1355617711000531">decline in thinking abilities</a>, even for those who <a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2018.12.014">live alone</a> or who have signs of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2019.05.005">beta-amyloid accumulation</a> in their brain. One reason for these benefits to brain health is that maintaining strong social ties and cultivating satisfying relationships may help people to <a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/manage-stress-social-support">cope better with stress</a>; people who feel better able to cope with difficulties or bounce back after a stressful event show <a href="http://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000008979">less buildup of tau protein</a> in their brains. </p>
<p>This is good news because, with the importance of social distancing for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, how people manage their feelings and relationships is likely more important for brain health than the fact that they are spending time physically apart.</p>
<p>[<em>Get our best science, health and technology stories.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/science-editors-picks-71/?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=science-best">Sign up for The Conversation’s science newsletter</a>.]</p>
<h2>Strategies for coping with loneliness</h2>
<p>Loneliness is a common and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2013.837379">normal human experience</a>. An important first step is to recognize this and accept that what you are feeling is part of being human. </p>
<p>Rather than focusing on what’s not possible at the moment, try to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-020-09463-7">refocus your attention on</a> what you can do to stay connected and <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-isolation-the-covid-19-pandemics-hidden-health-risk-for-older-adults-and-how-to-manage-it-141277">make a plan</a> to take action. This could include planning to reach out to friends or family, or trying <a href="https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/j9e4q">new activities</a> at home that you normally wouldn’t have time for, such as online classes or book clubs.</p>
<p>During times of high stress, self-care is essential. Following <a href="https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf">recommendations</a> to maintain regular exercise and sleep routines, healthy eating and continuing to engage in enjoyable activities will help to manage stress and maintain mental and physical health.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141752/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martin J. Sliwinski receives funding from The National Institute on Aging, a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karra Harrington does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The social isolation older adults are experiencing as they try to stay safe from the coronavirus pandemic is raising new mental health risks, but people can take steps to protect themselves.Karra Harrington, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Clinical Psychologist, Penn StateMartin J. Sliwinski, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Director of the Center for Healthy Aging, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1373792020-06-16T18:13:33Z2020-06-16T18:13:33ZHow doctors’ fears of getting COVID-19 can mean losing the healing power of touch: One physician’s story<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341568/original/file-20200612-153808-eucp93.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C7%2C5121%2C3403&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Touch is central to empathy because the person being touched is also touching back.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/close-up-of-nurse-touching-senior-patients-hand-in-royalty-free-image/961288054">Cavan Images via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The Conversation is running a series of dispatches from clinicians and researchers operating on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. You can <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/covid-19-front-lines-84846">find all of the stories here</a>.</em></p>
<p>Even as America begins to reopen, people across city neighborhoods continue to express appreciation for the health care workers braving hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients by clanging pots and cheering nightly. Similar to the firefighters who sacrificed their lives during 9/11, frontline health care workers have become the symbolic heroes of the moment. </p>
<p>But for many American health care providers, this time is unprecedented in terms of the ways in which our lives are threatened. Roughly 77,000 U.S. health care workers have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>. More than 400 have died. </p>
<p>These statistics trigger inevitable fear and uncertainty, an uncertainty that is masked by the call to duty that summons providers to carry on despite the novel coronavirus and its risks. This fear can lead doctors and nurses to keep their distance and deprive patients of a potentially comforting presence during this acutely vulnerable time.</p>
<p>At UCLA Health, <a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/liza-buchbinder">I’m a hospitalist</a> – a board-certified physician in internal or family medicine whose practice is based in a hospital – as well as an anthropologist in the Center for Social Medicine and Humanities. My interactions in the hospital with a woman suspected of having COVID-19 showed me how fear of contagion could impact my conviction to maintain a compassionate presence in caring for patients. </p>
<h2>A need for connection</h2>
<p>I was working a shift as a “moonlighter” in mid-March for a hospital that was not my home institution. My job was to ensure the safety of the daytime hospitalists’ patients overnight. At around 9 p.m., I received a page from a nurse in the intensive care unit about a woman I will refer to as Ms. Johnson (not her real name).</p>
<p>Ms. Johnson was a young African American woman with longstanding Type 1 diabetes. She had experienced multiple hospital admissions in the past for diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition that can occur when blood sugar levels get too high. Chronic complications from her disease led to kidney failure, and she was in the ICU the night I was called. Over the course of this hospitalization, she had developed fevers and a cough that prompted testing for COVID-19.</p>
<p>Ms. Johnson was placed in “enhanced droplet isolation” while waiting for her test results, which took five to seven days to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-coronavirus-testing-problems-timeline-2020-3?op=1#hahn-said-the-government-plans-to-ship-4-million-additional-tests-by-the-end-of-next-week-18">return from the CDC laboratory</a>. Her enhanced infection control measure mandated that anyone entering her room wear a gown, gloves and eye protection, in addition to a surgical mask. </p>
<p>During this early phase in the U.S. crisis, the CDC recommended that providers wear full protection only with patients who fulfilled the criteria for “persons under investigation.” These patients were perceived to be at elevated risk for COVID-19 infection because they were symptomatic and had traveled from high-prevalence countries, such as China and Italy, or had been in contact with a person infected by COVID-19. </p>
<p>I was uncomfortable with the CDC policy because of media articles questioning the ability of simple face masks to protect health care workers and reports about the possibility of asymptomatic viral transmission. Given conflicting expert opinions, I wanted to be protected by wearing an N-95 mask, but I would have been breaking hospital policy if I wore one to see Ms. Johnson. In the interest of protecting precious supplies of personal protective equipment, N-95 masks were reserved for patients undergoing “aerosolizing” procedures, such as intubation or a breathing treatment. I asked the nurse if it was possible to speak over the phone with Ms. Johnson instead of seeing her in person. The nurse agreed.</p>
<p>Over the phone, Ms. Johnson expressed her frustration that her primary physician was not available and shared that she preferred a higher dose of insulin than she was being given. Due to the risk of dangerously low blood sugar levels, I wanted to avoid an overdose and explained the importance of sticking with the prescribed dose. Throughout the call, Ms. Johnson became increasingly distressed.</p>
<p>“All these doctors are calling me on the phone and saying that they understand, that they hear me and that they’re here to help,” she said. She expressed frustration with her isolation in light of her improbable COVID-19 infection. She expressed feeling locked up and discriminated against because of her race. She also told me of her mother’s visit earlier that day – how she was able to see her only briefly through the glass.</p>
<p>Ultimately, she wanted to be released from her solitude. She wanted to be with her mom. She wanted someone to hold her.</p>
<p>“You’re all afraid to touch me,” she said. “You’re scared and trying to say what you need to say.”</p>
<p>Her words spoke a painful truth. Ms. Johnson’s concerns went beyond the question of insulin. She wanted connection. Under pre-COVID-19 conditions, I would have gone to see her. Even if my presence would not resolve her medication discrepancies, it would have allowed me to express my sympathy better than I could over the phone. But now the risk calculation had changed, and it went beyond personal safety. If I get sick, who will cover my shifts? If COVID-19 cases surge, will I be available? What if I bring the virus home to my family?</p>
<p>As a physician and cultural anthropologist, I am trained to interrogate the ways in which standardized protocols, cumbersome electronic medical records and time pressures can serve as dehumanizing forces in the doctor-patient relationship. These constraints are only amplified during this time of uncertainty and vulnerability. </p>
<h2>A new normal</h2>
<p>Now, three months later, conditions have changed. With a well-vetted <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/infection-control-recommendations.html">PPE protocol</a> and the example of coworkers traversing COVID-19 units with unbroken professionalism, I feel more comfortable working in the new normal. But there are unmistakable differences compared to the practice of medicine pre-pandemic: increased monitoring of patients by robots, curtailed physical examinations and the palpable absence of family members. </p>
<p>In addition to these distancing measures in the hospital, <a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/issue-brief/opportunities-and-barriers-for-telemedicine-in-the-u-s-during-the-covid-19-emergency-and-beyond/">there has been a dramatic shift toward telemedicine</a>. As leaders in digital health and health care delivery call for a greater push toward nonvisit care and imagine a future where “in-person visits are the <a href="https://www.healthevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/In-Person-Health-Care-as-Option-B_SD.pdf">second, third or even last option</a>,” my lingering remorse about Ms. Johnson tells me that Zoom visits and telephone calls cannot substitute the therapeutic power of presence. </p>
<p>I feel ambivalence as my neighbors cheer from their windows for the seemingly fearless and unflappable frontline provider. What dangers lie behind a hospitalist’s bravery, and what are we losing in the process of tempering our risks? </p>
<p>As anthropologist Jason Throop has argued, empathy, or the ability to understand another and be understood, <a href="https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1548-1387.2012.01225.x">is affirmed through touch</a>. Touch is central to empathic communication because the person being touched is also touching back. </p>
<p>Ms. Johnson’s COVID-19 test was negative, and she ultimately transferred out of the ICU. Unfortunately, she may have lasting memories of her isolating hospitalization during the pandemic. As COVID-19 ushers in a new era of medicine, will this disconnect further impair doctor-patient interactions? Or will we find a way to maintain the essential give-and-take between patient and provider that is so powerful and core to our profession’s healing craft? My hope is for the latter.</p>
<p>[<em>Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=upper-coronavirus-facts">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.</a>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137379/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liza Buchbinder does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A give-and-take between patient and provider is essential to patient care. As the COVID-19 pandemic ushers in a new era of medicine, one doctor wonders if this connection will be lost.Liza Buchbinder, Internal Medicine Physician and Anthropologist, UCLA Health, University of California, Los AngelesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1376122020-05-13T06:30:07Z2020-05-13T06:30:07ZMiss hugs? Touch forms bonds and boosts immune systems. Here’s how to cope without it during coronavirus<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/334261/original/file-20200512-175229-1glfjzt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=188%2C255%2C2806%2C1738&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Claudio Furlan/Lapresse/Sipa USA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Don’t shake hands, don’t high-five, and definitely don’t hug.</p>
<p>We’ve been bombarded with these messages during the pandemic as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19, meaning we may not have hugged our friends and family in months.</p>
<p>This might be really hard for a lot of us, particularly if we live alone. This is because positive physical touch can make us feel good. It boosts levels of hormones and neurotransmitters that promote mental well-being, is involved in bonding, and can help reduce stress.</p>
<p>So how can we cope with a lack of touch?</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=793&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=793&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334569/original/file-20200513-82383-15hqj0h.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=793&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<h2>Touch helps us bond</h2>
<p>In humans, the hormone oxytocin is released during <a href="https://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/Abstract/2008/11000/Influence_of_a__Warm_Touch__Support_Enhancement.4.aspx">hugging</a>, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02324.x">touching</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8135652/">and</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3782434/">orgasm</a>. Oxytocin also acts as a neuropeptide, which are small molecules used in brain communication.</p>
<p>It is involved in social recognition and bonding, such as between <a href="https://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(10)00120-4/fulltext">parents</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3582747/">children</a>. It may also be involved in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0001128">generosity</a> and the formation of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature03701">trust between people</a>.</p>
<p>Touch also helps reduce <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763413001085?via%3Dihub">anxiety</a>. When premature babies are <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1099800408327789?casa_token=UyxpZV84Ga4AAAAA:0qKl1M2evatEr299KZQMXn24rRu8xplYFuWgajWb1C-J73h1svAeJgb2IbOrRMx_ksqRBkw63GW8">held by their mothers</a>, both infants and mothers show a decrease in cortisol, a hormone involved in the stress response. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/334224/original/file-20200512-66719-1q5uyke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/334224/original/file-20200512-66719-1q5uyke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334224/original/file-20200512-66719-1q5uyke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334224/original/file-20200512-66719-1q5uyke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334224/original/file-20200512-66719-1q5uyke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334224/original/file-20200512-66719-1q5uyke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/334224/original/file-20200512-66719-1q5uyke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Positive touch can release oxytocin, which is involved in human bonding.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Touch promotes mental well-being</h2>
<p>In adults with advanced cancer, massages or simple touch can reduce pain and <a href="https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/742783/massage-therapy-versus-simple-touch-improve-pain-mood-patients-advanced">improve mood</a>. Massage therapy has been shown to increase <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1088868316650307?casa_token=dZb778AAnTAAAAAA%3Ai512eiP2Qyah4oj9VFPLJu9UvqES_Lv1T0TXIs-8SsAodnVfwfwBvnlhWIg5di-ZiDvS7-YMFCNB#">levels of dopamine</a>, a neurotransmitter (one of the body’s chemical messengers) involved in satisfaction, motivation, and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982209018442">pleasure</a>. Dopamine is even released when we <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9858756/">anticipate</a> pleasurable activities such as eating and sex. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-flatten-the-other-coronavirus-curve-our-looming-mental-health-crisis-137170">We need to flatten the 'other' coronavirus curve, our looming mental health crisis</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Disruptions to normal dopamine levels are linked to a range of mental illnesses, including <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28289283/">schizophrenia, depression</a> and <a href="https://motamem.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/dopamine-functions-pathways.pdf">addiction</a>.</p>
<p>Serotonin is another neurotransmitter that promotes feelings of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028393206002910?via%3Dihub">well-being and happiness</a>. Positive touch boosts the release of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022399903005002">serotonin</a>, which corresponds with reductions in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16162447/">cortisol</a>. </p>
<p>Serotonin is also important for <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10080856/">immune system function</a>, and touch has been found to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1043454208323295?casa_token=kN8OStP1vNEAAAAA:FAuh0bnUQRNoJiGe1KyvUcpTQXTivmRnX7_UXyQjwAG-v9Lp44ZSlgaweJnY7Og7YMI9RC9YxbD9">improve our</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15740822/">immune system response</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23440471/">Symptoms of depression and suicidal behaviour</a> are associated with disruptions in normal serotonin levels.</p>
<h2>But what about a lack of touch?</h2>
<p>Due to social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, we should be vigilant about the possible effects of a lack of physical touch, on mental health. </p>
<p>It is not ethical to experimentally deprive people of touch. Several studies have explored the impacts of naturally occurring reduced physical touch.</p>
<p>For example, living in institutional care and receiving reduced positive touch from caregivers is associated with <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/development-and-psychopathology/article/impact-of-institutionalization-on-child-development/5DF14A15441D8235B9A946E0EAA33D45">cognitive</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053811901909176">and</a> <a href="https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2007.00004.x?casa_token=rVR0WRhyjk8AAAAA%3Ax0NsVLjChNFMf5myt1TBjSGm7bvdvKws-7jjgUr5r2Lmyvw-szX_rBFKkT12ItsnlsrzuQSD8CapzA">developmental</a> delays in children. These delays can persist for many years after <a href="https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00898.x?casa_token=ZnNURAdsKrAAAAAA%3AFS72bcP6Ig6lCN8FI46GN9vloIqP9rROUg9uGtPx_JemFofu3vMwNOfH6oT8q3z7vVbuLD46Y2PRDw">adoption</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/childhood-deprivation-affects-brain-size-and-behaviour-129314">Childhood deprivation affects brain size and behaviour</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Less physical touch has also been linked with a higher likelihood of aggressive behaviour. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0300443991510102?casa_token=bZf5x9lhwNkAAAAA:yUsRa2LZ6nWfn_JA5MVMNFd32Kog7VPcSyuAhhTdn4-PCD65Ac5ZnE8eW_Uv8ekUZHuL4IE4yhgr">One study</a> observed preschool children in playgrounds with their parents and peers, in both the US and France, and found that parents from the US touched their children less than French parents. It also found the children from the US displayed more aggressive behaviour towards their parents and peers, compared to preschoolers in France.</p>
<p>Another study observed adolescents from the US and France interacting with their peers. The American kids showed more aggressive verbal and physical behaviour than French adolescents, <a href="https://go.gale.com/ps/anonymous?id=GALE%7CA59810232&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=00018449&p=AONE&sw=w">who engaged in more physical touch</a>, although there may also be other factors that contribute to different levels of aggression in young people from different cultures.</p>
<h2>Maintain touch where we can</h2>
<p>We can maintain touch with the people we live with even if we are not getting our usual level of physical contact elsewhere. Making time for a hug with family members can even help with promoting positive mood during conflict. Hugging is associated with smaller decreases in positive emotions and can lessen the impact of negative emotions in times of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6169869/">conflict</a>.</p>
<p>In children, positive touch is correlated with more self-control, happiness, and pro-social skills, which are behaviours intended to benefit others. People who received more affection in childhood behave more pro-socially in <a href="https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1186/s41155-019-0129-0?author_access_token=CbUzFXMVtXQL2lmf5BV1wm_BpE1tBhCbnbw3BuzI2RM8OT5TtfvmMHxgMooOJlL5qpk4nvXH8JFe5eXPtcMFc9eaCU5804N8DmnqjYuywulsb9KjAyYKHOa7brBihmOftIV-4CscBuXEInDWdZw4uA%3D%3D">adulthood</a> and also have more secure attachments, meaning they display more positive views of themselves, others, and relationships.</p>
<h2>Pets can help</h2>
<p>Petting animals can increase levels of oxytocin and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/175303711X13045914865385">decrease cortisol</a>, so you can still get your fill of touch by interacting with your pets. Pets can reduce <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408111/">stress, anxiety</a>, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/175303707X207954">depression</a>
and improve <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408111/">overall health</a>.</p>
<p>In paediatric hospital settings, pet therapy results in improvements in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15326888chc3104_5?casa_token=G8-y9KR7dAAAAAAA:O4DN6KFbXxhX0ePX51-3yMotiehGdWHTD3j2f72FBLy3VGpsQ1NSB2T3RNPKCOkUZs-4h1b_pW2M">mood</a>. In adults, companion animals can decrease mental distress in people experiencing <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103111002411?casa_token=AVYxxYaVqi8AAAAA:tEpkuxiITfvS5evk60XO6nOAEHmihxWv_WrQq6GIWb9lcNvQLj4JnEpmOWDKbeOcwgbqicsb-dg">social exclusion</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333303/original/file-20200507-49546-zmsnbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333303/original/file-20200507-49546-zmsnbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333303/original/file-20200507-49546-zmsnbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333303/original/file-20200507-49546-zmsnbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333303/original/file-20200507-49546-zmsnbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333303/original/file-20200507-49546-zmsnbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333303/original/file-20200507-49546-zmsnbl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cuddling with pets is therapeutic and may help ease the mental health effects of social distancing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/are-people-with-pets-less-likely-to-die-if-they-catch-the-coronavirus-135923">Are people with pets less likely to die if they catch the coronavirus?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What if I live alone?</h2>
<p>If you live alone, and you don’t have any pets, don’t despair. There are many ways to promote mental health and well-being even in the absence of a good hug. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.lifestylemedicine.org/">The American College of Lifestyle Medicine</a> highlights six areas for us to invest in to promote or <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-your-mental-health-deteriorating-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-heres-what-to-look-out-for-134827">improve our mental health</a>: sleep, nutrition, social connectedness, exercise, stress management, and avoiding risky substance use. <a href="https://www.hsj.gr/medicine/stress-management-techniques-evidencebased-procedures-that-reduce-stress-and-promote-health.php?aid=3429">Stress management techniques</a> that use breathing or relaxation may be a way to nurture your body when touch and hugs aren’t available.</p>
<p>Staying in touch with friends and loved ones can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2921311/">increase oxytocin and reduce stress</a> by providing the social support we all need during physical distancing. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article is supported by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/partners/judith-neilson-institute">Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137612/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexandra Parker receives funding from NHMRC. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Glen Hosking, Michaela Pascoe, and Sarah Dash do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Feeling desperate for a hug? You’re not alone. Research suggests positive physical touch benefits our mental health.Michaela Pascoe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Mental Health, Victoria UniversityAlexandra Parker, Professor of Physical Activity and Mental Health, Victoria UniversityGlen Hosking, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Victoria UniversitySarah Dash, Postdoctoral research fellow, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1363212020-04-27T12:12:08Z2020-04-27T12:12:08ZWelcome to your sensory revolution, thanks to the pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330391/original/file-20200424-163062-1amz996.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">No smell, no touch: People line up in Prague, Czech Republic, to get tested for the coronavirus. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-line-up-to-get-tested-for-the-coronavirus-in-prague-news-photo/1210703825?adppopup=true">Getty/Gabriel Kuchta</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The way we see, hear, taste, touch and smell may never be the same again.</p>
<p>Courtesy of COVID-19, we are undergoing a sensory revolution. All of the senses have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic – not because the senses themselves have changed, but because the context and environment in which we sense has been profoundly altered.</p>
<p>Sensory historians <a href="https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/artsandsciences/history/our_people/directory/smith_m_mark.php">like myself</a>, who study the ways in which people in the past used their senses to understand and navigate their worlds, find that sensory shifts and perceptions tended to happen very slowly, measured in decades and centuries, <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/sensory-history-9781845204150/">not in mere weeks and months</a>.</p>
<p>The shift that is happening now is unprecedented.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jwClyd2lHWo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Emptiness is the symbol of life in the time of coronavirus.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Sensory hierarchy</h2>
<p>The very idea that there are only five distinct senses took ages to mature, gaining credence in the Enlightenment. This period not only discounted erstwhile senses – such as the sense of “intuition” – but arranged the five senses into a distinctive hierarchy.</p>
<p>The Age of Reason empowered the eye as the sense of truth; seeing was believing, said most thinkers in the 1700s. Sight was followed by hearing, understood as more refined than the so-called lower or proximate senses. Those are smell, taste and touch, senses that had once been held in high esteem in the ancient and medieval worlds, but which lost their currency and <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/sensory-history-9781845204150/">became more associated with the animal senses</a>.</p>
<p>These changes took time. Seeing was believing by about 1800, but it had taken centuries for the original iteration of the phrase, “seeing is believing, but feeling’s the truth,” to lose its tactile component.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330397/original/file-20200424-163058-ezgub5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330397/original/file-20200424-163058-ezgub5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330397/original/file-20200424-163058-ezgub5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330397/original/file-20200424-163058-ezgub5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330397/original/file-20200424-163058-ezgub5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330397/original/file-20200424-163058-ezgub5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330397/original/file-20200424-163058-ezgub5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330397/original/file-20200424-163058-ezgub5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The sight, sound and smell of traffic have disappeared from New York City.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-view-looking-east-down-an-empty-street-amid-the-news-photo/1220494566?adppopup=true">Getty/Alexi Rosenfeld</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Sensing changes</h2>
<p>With the sensory hierarchy intact, the 19th century ushered in some profound and long-term changes in how people used and understood their senses.</p>
<p>Olfaction offers a good example. Western noses became more refined, more sensitive and more alert to noxious smells. Rank and fetid smells gave way to a world that valued pleasant and deodorized smells. Washing and bathing became more popular, as did the use of perfumes and scents. Noses that could detect the difference were applauded. This olfactory <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Foul_and_the_Fragrant/LI1M4sLcvPAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=alain+corbin+fould+and+the+fragrant&printsec=frontcover">evolution in smells and habits of smelling took about a century</a>. </p>
<p>Now think of the sensory changes that have taken place in just a matter of months.</p>
<h2>New sights, louder sounds</h2>
<p>Once-trusty eyes betray us in the face of an invisible enemy. Seeing is no longer believing. Those who appear perfectly healthy <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/04/13/831883560/can-a-coronavirus-patient-who-isnt-showing-symptoms-infect-others">may be unknowing disease transmitters</a>.</p>
<p>But if the cause of COVID-19 is invisible, its effects are emphatically not. Desolate city streets are new sights; the absence of airplane contrails strikes many as almost primordial; masks render <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwClyd2lHWo">once-familiar faces unrecognizable</a>. </p>
<p>Soundscapes have changed, as have habits of listening. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-22/how-silent-spreaders-make-coronavirus-hard-to-beat-quicktake">Coronavirus spreaders are sometimes described as “silent.</a>” Many urban dwellers hear less traffic and formerly smothered sounds – <a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/coronavirus/hopeful-birdsong-foreboding-sirens-a-pandemic-in-sound/2265854/">such as birdsong</a> – now can be heard. </p>
<p>The world is in some ways a much quieter place. Seismic sensors are picking up activity that used to be drowned out <a href="https://gizmodo.com/seismometers-worldwide-detect-decrease-in-human-activit-1842526497">by the activity of cities</a>. None of these sounds is new, but the effects of COVID-19 have reconfigured habits of listening and thresholds of hearing. Human voices are louder because there are <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/coronavirus-birdsong-seems-louder-and-the-ravens-are-more-relaxed-1.4231725">no whispers at six feet</a>.</p>
<p>The sense of smell has been hit hard. To breathe, after all, is to smell – if you can. Anosmia – the loss of the sense of smell – <a href="https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2020/04/17/how-viruses-like-the-coronavirus-can-steal-our-sense-of-smell/">is an early sign of infection</a>. </p>
<p>Even if we keep our sense of smell, we now pause before inhaling, lest we <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/lost-sense-of-smell-may-be-peculiar-clue-to-coronavirus-infection/articleshow/74767666.cms">breathe in an enemy we cannot see</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330399/original/file-20200424-163110-gh3c20.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330399/original/file-20200424-163110-gh3c20.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330399/original/file-20200424-163110-gh3c20.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330399/original/file-20200424-163110-gh3c20.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330399/original/file-20200424-163110-gh3c20.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330399/original/file-20200424-163110-gh3c20.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330399/original/file-20200424-163110-gh3c20.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330399/original/file-20200424-163110-gh3c20.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Food tastes different if you can’t eat it until you get it home.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/woman-wearing-gloves-and-a-scarf-can-be-seen-in-the-news-photo/1219591346?adppopup=true">Getty/Alexi Rosenfeld</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Taste is no longer as easily sated, and palates are rearranged. Restaurants still cater, but in takeout fashion and with less variety. Hot food once served in the restaurant is colder and less palatable after it’s transported to the more distant dining room table. Clammy hamburgers on soggy buns served with limp french fries, anyone? Grocery stores now ration once taken-for-granted staples, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-21/food-rationing-is-new-reality-for-buyers-once-spoiled-for-choice">notably eggs, milk and meat</a>.</p>
<p>Touch is the obvious sensory casualty in all of this. Centuries of handshaking habits have evaporated; high fives are gone. Outside of families, hugs, kisses and nuzzles have <a href="https://www.allure.com/story/covid-19-skin-hunger-lack-of-touch">all been lost with the fear of infection</a>.</p>
<h2>No guide</h2>
<p>In sensory terms, there has been nothing like this. </p>
<p>Even the violence done to the senses by wars, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes is <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-smell-of-battle-the-taste-of-siege-9780190658526?lang=en&cc=us;%20https://books.google.com/books/about/Camille_1969.html?id=CBcRmQEACAAJ">modest in scale and scope compared to this sensory revolution</a>. </p>
<p>Possible legacies, short-term or long, are hard to fathom. Beyond the deaths, the long-term effects of this pandemic will likely be in words and culture, not eternal lockdowns. Sensory and rhetorical turns of phrases will change. The results will not be even. Thanks to virtual communication, “See ya” and “I hear ya” should remain stable, but “staying in touch” and “getting a grip” could go the way of the sensory dinosaur.</p>
<p>But if normalcy eludes us? </p>
<p>A whole new world of sensory engagement will emerge, and it could be terrifying. Our soundscape could be civil strife, punctuated with the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8235307/Riots-break-suburbs-Paris-amid-anger-French-police-heavy-handedness-lockdown.html">smell of tear gas</a> and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/28/south-africa-police-rubber-bullets-shoppers-covid-19-lockdown">resounding sting of rubber bullets on flesh</a>.</p>
<p>There is no sensory past that can guide us here. It is a genuine revolution of the senses. And it stinks.</p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/136321/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark M. Smith does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>All of the senses have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, not because the senses have changed, but because the world has, writes a sensory historian.Mark M. Smith, Carolina Distinguished Professor of History, University of South CarolinaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1359102020-04-17T12:10:34Z2020-04-17T12:10:34ZWhat’s lost when we’re too afraid to touch the world around us?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327759/original/file-20200414-117578-p28xy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C9%2C3290%2C2158&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">We touch, therefore we know.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/24077861-royalty-free-image/87516258?adppopup=true">Jupiterimages/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>During one of my daily walks with my toddler, when we passed his favorite playground, I noticed a new sign warning that the coronavirus survives on all kinds of surfaces and that we should no longer use the playground. Since then, I’ve taken great pains to prevent him from touching things. </p>
<p>This hasn’t been easy. He loves to squeeze bike racks and graze tree trunks, jostle bushes and knock on picnic tables. He likes to run his fingers against bars around a swimming pool and pet the chickens at the neighborhood coop. </p>
<p>Whenever I bat his hand away or try to distract him from potentially absorbing these dreaded, invisible germs, I wonder: What’s being lost? How can he possibly indulge his curiosity and learn about the world without his sense of touch? </p>
<p>I find myself thinking about <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/herder/">Johann Gottfried Herder</a>, an 18th-century German philosopher who published a treatise on the sense of touch in 1778. </p>
<p>“Go into a nursery and see how the young child who is constantly gathering experience reaches out, grasping, lifting, weighing, touching and measuring things,” <a href="https://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo3614360.html">he wrote</a>. In doing so, the child acquires “the most primary and necessary concepts, such as body, shape, size, space and distance.” </p>
<p>During the European Enlightenment, sight was considered by many to be the most important sense because it could perceive light, and light also symbolized scientific fact and philosophical truth. However, some thinkers, such as Herder and <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/diderot/">Denis Diderot</a>, questioned sight’s predominance. Herder <a href="https://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo3614360.html">writes that</a> “sight reveals merely shapes, but touch alone reveals bodies: that everything that has form is known only through the sense of touch and that sight reveals only … surfaces exposed to light.” </p>
<p>To Herder, our knowledge of the world – our relentless curiosity – is fundamentally transmitted and satiated through our skin. Herder argues that blind people are, in fact, privileged; they’re able to explore via touch without distraction and are “able to develop concepts of the properties of bodies that are far more complete than those acquired by the sighted.” </p>
<p>For Herder, touch was the only way to understand the form of things and grasp the shape of bodies. Herder changes René Descartes’ statement “I think, therefore I am” and claims: We touch, therefore we know. We touch, therefore we are. </p>
<p>Herder was onto something. Centuries later, neuroscientists like David Linden have been able to map out the power of touch – the first sense, he notes in his book
“<a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Touch.html?id=S8QcBAAAQBAJ">Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind</a>,” to develop in utero.</p>
<p>Linden writes that our skin is a social organ that cultivates cooperation, improves health and enhances development. He points to <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-22093-017">research</a> showing that celebratory hugging among professional basketball players improves team performance, that premature babies <a href="https://doi.org/10.12968/hmed.2012.73.5.278">are more likely to survive</a> if they’re regularly held by their parents instead of being kept solely in incubators and that children severely deprived of touch <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Touch.html?id=S8QcBAAAQBAJ">end up with more developmental problems</a>.</p>
<p>During this period of social distancing, what sort of void has been created? In our social lives, touches are often subtle and brief – a quick handshake or hug. Yet it seems as though these brief encounters contribute mightily to our emotional well-being.</p>
<p>As a professor, I know it’s been a huge advantage to have digital technology that enables remote learning. But my students are missing out on the little touches, intentional or accidental, from their friends and classmates, whether it’s in the classroom, in dining halls or in their dorms.</p>
<p>Perhaps not surprisingly, touch plays a bigger role in some cultures than in others. Psychologist Sidney Jourard <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1966.tb00978.x">observed the behavior</a> of Puerto Ricans in a San Juan coffee shop and found that they touched one another an average of 180 times per hour. I wonder how they’re handling social distancing. Residents of Gainesville, Florida, are probably having an easier time; Jourard found they only touched twice per hour in a coffee shop.</p>
<p>Social distancing is crucial. But I’m already pining for the day when we can all engage with the world unimpeded, touching without anxiety or hesitation.</p>
<p>We’re more impoverished without it.</p>
<p>[<em>Insight, in your inbox each day.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=insight">You can get it with The Conversation’s email newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135910/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chunjie Zhang receives research funding from the University of California, Davis. </span></em></p>With dreaded, invisible germs lurking on surfaces and in people, our surroundings are seen as a minefield – and we end up dulling one of our most valuable senses.Chunjie Zhang, Associate Professor of German, University of California, DavisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1334882020-03-16T15:01:37Z2020-03-16T15:01:37ZCoronavirus is accelerating a culture of no touching – here’s why that’s a problem<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320787/original/file-20200316-27680-18b41zq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">No more hugs?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rawpixel.com/shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Touch has profound benefits for human beings. But over the last few decades, people <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313773/touch-by-david-j-linden/">have become</a> increasingly cautious about socially touching others for a range of reasons. With the novel coronavirus spreading, this is bound to get worse. People have already started <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-coronavirus-the-end-of-the-handshake-133185">avoiding shaking hands</a>. And the British queen was seen <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/03/queen-wears-gloves-investiture-first-time-amid-coronavirus-fears-12342769/">wearing gloves as a precaution</a> not to contract the virus.</p>
<p>The coronavirus could very well have long-term implications for how hands-on we are – reinforcing already existing perceptions that touch should be avoided. </p>
<p>Why is touch so important? It helps us share how we feel about others, enhancing our verbal communication. A touch on the arm when comforting someone, for example, is often what shows that we really care. People benefit from physical touch throughout their lifespan, and there is a large body of evidence showing that it has the ability to affect <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929317301962">both short and long-term wellbeing</a>. For babies, it is even crucial for <a href="https://theconversation.com/touch-in-infancy-is-important-for-healthy-brain-development-74864">healthy brain development</a>.</p>
<p>The emotional impact of social touch is ingrained in our biology. There is evidence that it <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/030439409511335T">triggers the release of oxytocin</a>, a hormone that decreases responses to stress. In fact, touch has been shown to <a href="https://journals.lww.com/psychosomaticmedicine/Fulltext/2008/11000/Influence_of_a__Warm_Touch__Support_Enhancement.4.aspx">cushion stress levels</a> in humans. </p>
<p>We know that a simple touch by a nurse prior to surgery can <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1980-21836-001">reduce stress levels</a> in patients. It can also <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-13355-7">reduce feelings of social exclusion</a> and even <a href="https://academic.oup.com/geronj/article/41/5/611/598547">increase food intake</a> among elderly people living in a nursing home. So given how essential social touch is to people’s wellbeing, it is important to ensure that it is a part of everyday life. </p>
<h2>Decline in social touch</h2>
<p>The last few decades has seen a <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313773/touch-by-david-j-linden/">decrease in social touch</a>. Partly, this is down to the fact that we are living in a technology-focused, socially disconnected world, where people are more likely to communicate virtually rather than through meeting in person. This means that we are touching each other much less than we used to. </p>
<p>But the decline in touch is primarily due to a fear that it may result in an accusation of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2010.00686.x?scrollTo=references">inappropriate touching</a>. Such fear has been moulded by society as people are frequently hearing stories of inappropriate behaviour. People therefore rather resist touching others than risk having a social touch misinterpreted. The message is simple: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/aug/29/men-women-workplace-study-harassment-harvard-metoo">avoid hugging a work colleague</a> who is upset and don’t pat someone on the back for a job well done. </p>
<p>At the same time, the fear of accusations of child abuse has been disproportionate to the number of actual occurrences. This has seen professionals <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004430.2010.497207">developing distorted thinking</a>. Teachers often <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0142569032000155935">avoid being alone with children</a>, and don’t touch pupils in a natural and affectionate way. </p>
<h2>The impact of coronavirus</h2>
<p>With the novel coronavirus, people have yet another reason to be <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/should-you-avoid-malls-subway-poles-and-handshakes-to-protect-against-coronavirus-2020-03-04">fearful of touching others</a>, as it means approaching people who potentially may be carriers. While we should remain careful with touching during this serious outbreak, we have to make an effort not to let it get out of control. After all, a lot of people suffer from <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-how-to-stop-the-anxiety-spiralling-out-of-control-133166">high levels of anxiety</a> about the virus, and touch is a way to reduce it. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320799/original/file-20200316-27627-1n53p3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320799/original/file-20200316-27627-1n53p3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320799/original/file-20200316-27627-1n53p3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320799/original/file-20200316-27627-1n53p3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320799/original/file-20200316-27627-1n53p3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320799/original/file-20200316-27627-1n53p3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320799/original/file-20200316-27627-1n53p3h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It won’t last forever.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-people-masks-talking-distance-being-1673587309">eldar nurkovic/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The longer this goes on, the more likely that an association will be formed between social touch and a sense of negativity. People may eventually forget all about the virus, but still be wary of social touch without knowing why. This is because negative associations often create more <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00506.x">readily available memories</a> for people than positive associations. </p>
<p>So while it is not advisable to carry on touching people as usual during the outbreak, especially not people who are old or have underlying health conditions, physical contact with loved ones can still continue, as long as we <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-and-handwashing-research-shows-proper-hand-drying-is-also-vital-132905">take precautions</a> and wash our hands. </p>
<p>More broadly, the key is to be aware that negative life events such as this epidemic could impact on social touch in the long run in an undesirable way. Bringing this to the forefront of our minds can counterbalance what may otherwise generate negative memories about touch. </p>
<p>Once the outbreak is over, one vital challenge will be to reset our thinking about touch, keeping in mind its importance. After all, a hug may be just what we need to move on from the traumatic experience of the coronavirus.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133488/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cathrine Jansson-Boyd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Touch is essential to wellbeing, so we must make an effort not to associate it with negative feelings once the corona outbreak is over.Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, Reader in Consumer Psychology, Anglia Ruskin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1223752019-09-23T17:01:50Z2019-09-23T17:01:50ZGesture as language: why we point with a finger<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/289327/original/file-20190825-170927-qz0zu0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C14%2C1203%2C775&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cathal O’Madagain/AAAS</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Pointing at an object… in one sense you might say that this simple gesture doesn’t just replace a word, but that it <em>is</em> a word – perhaps the first word. We know that it and other such gestures play a fundamental role in human language, but until now, we have not known where these gestures come from. To find out more, my colleagues and I investigated the hypothesis that pointing originates from touch.</p>
<p>I was interested in understanding why a pointing gesture picks out one object and not another, because I am also interested in how demonstrative words – words like <em>this</em> and <em>that</em> – pick out their objects. Demonstratives and pointing gestures are some of the simplest and earliest ways we have of “referring” to things, so that understanding these words and gestures gets us close to understanding the foundations of linguistic communication in general. </p>
<p>One evening at the Café Waikiki in Paris, <a href="https://cognition.ens.fr/en/member/671/brent-strickland">Brent Strickland</a> and I hyphothesized that we were pointing at objects not by creating arrows with our fingers, but as if we were “virtually touching” them in the distance. Brent, who works on gestural communication, had thought a lot about the angle the finger makes when it points, and how precisely it should be directed toward the objects to designate them. Another colleague, <a href="https://www.lfe.uni-leipzig.de/en/employee/gregor-kachel-2/">Gregor Kachel</a>, had also worked on infants’ understanding of others’ pointing gestures. We decided to put our heads together and come up with some studies investigating the possibility that pointing originates in touch.</p>
<p>In our <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/7/eaav2558.full">new paper</a>, we discovered three things. First, that when people point at objects, they are inclined to orient their finger-tip as if they are aiming to touch the object they point at. The angle of their finger does not predict which object they point at – as we might be inclined to assume. Pointing gestures do not work like arrows, as street-signs do. Instead the line that connects the producer’s eye and finger-tip is the best predictor of what they are pointing at. This suggests that pointing is somehow rooted in <em>touch</em>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284565/original/file-20190717-147265-fvzoei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284565/original/file-20190717-147265-fvzoei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=202&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284565/original/file-20190717-147265-fvzoei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=202&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284565/original/file-20190717-147265-fvzoei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=202&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284565/original/file-20190717-147265-fvzoei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=253&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284565/original/file-20190717-147265-fvzoei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=253&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284565/original/file-20190717-147265-fvzoei.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=253&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">At left, pointing like an arrow. Right, pointing as touch to touch.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/7/eaav2558.full">Cathal O’Madagain, Gregor Kachel, Brent Strickland</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Pointing, touching</h2>
<p>Second, we discovered that when we point at objects at odd angles, we are inclined to rotate our wrist as if we are trying to touch the object – even if it’s far away. Imagine yourself pointing at the label on a bottle of wine when the label is facing to your right – you might find yourself rotating your wrist clockwise, as you would if you were trying to touch the label; or, if the bottle is rotated so that the label is on the left side, now you may find yourself rotating your wrist anti-clockwise again as you would if you were trying to touch it. </p>
<p>We found this effect even with 18-month-old infants – everyone seems to point as through trying to touch the things they point at. Finally we discovered that although adults can interpret pointing gestures as arrows, very young children and infants seem to have a hard time interpreting them as arrows, and instead treat pointing gestures as referring to the object closest to the finger-tip.</p>
<p>The work sheds light on the origin of human language. Something distinctive about human linguistic communication is that we deliberately “tell” each other things – that is, we inform each other in such a way that the other person knows we are trying to tell them something. It is widely thought that the first gesture or communicative act that infants undertake where it is clear that they are deliberately trying to draw their parents attention to something – to “tell them” about something – in this way, is the pointing gesture. I’m inclined to think of the pointing gestures produced by infants as their first “words”, for these reasons.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget">psychologist Jean Piaget</a> speculated that pointing may come from reaching. But wanting to have something for ourselves (by grabbing it) is very different from telling someone else about it. You might point something out for someone, simply because you want them to know about it or see it. Think of pointing at the moon simply because you think it looks nice and you want someone to get to see it. You don’t want them to hand the moon to you, you just want them to look at it. </p>
<p>In fact, infants produce gestures that are similar to pointing gestures – where they stretch out their arm and hold their hand out with all fingers splayed in a “grabbing” shape – when they want something handed to them. But independently, they also produce these distinctive “pointing” gestures – with the index finger extended and other fingers curled into the palm – that is, not in a reaching shape (since you can’t pick something up with just an index finger). Our studies show that a much more plausible origin for pointing is in attempts to touch things.</p>
<p>We think that children discover that they can draw their parents’ attention to things by touching them. Touch and visual attention are closely linked – we often look at what we touch, and, we think, parents and caretakers are inclined to look at what children touch more than what they grab or reach for. We think that once children discover that they can draw their carers’ attention to things by touching, they “aim” to touch things in the distance, for the same purpose of drawing their carers’ attention to those things. Once children discover this, a good deal of the time they spend focusing their own attention on nearby objects through touch becomes spent on establishing joint attention to objects further away, through pointing.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284570/original/file-20190717-147284-h1gekb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/284570/original/file-20190717-147284-h1gekb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=798&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284570/original/file-20190717-147284-h1gekb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=798&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284570/original/file-20190717-147284-h1gekb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=798&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284570/original/file-20190717-147284-h1gekb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1003&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284570/original/file-20190717-147284-h1gekb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1003&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/284570/original/file-20190717-147284-h1gekb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1003&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"><em>The Virgin of the Rocks</em> (1483–1486).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Vierge_aux_rochers#/media/Fichier:Leonardo_Da_Vinci_-_Vergine_delle_Rocce_(Louvre).jpg">Léonard de Vinci</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The very familiar scenario where two humans jointly attend to an object or event so that they talk about it is at the heart of human communication. The pointing gesture is the first event in child development where this “triangle” of attention between two speakers and an object is established. But until now we have not known where these gestures come from, and hence how this fundamentally important ability of humans to coordinate attention comes about. We think we have solved that riddle.</p>
<p>What is nice about these studies is that the results are scientifically important, but also at least in the case of the first two, can be checked immediately by any reader for herself. Most people we talk to are surprised to learn that they point at objects in the distance as if touching them, or that they rotate their wrists when pointing at objects at odd angles, but are inclined to quickly agree when they check. It is nice to discover something that was hiding in plain sight. The connection between pointing and touch, once identified, becomes hard not to see – something that’s very satisfying to us as researchers.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122375/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cathal O'Madagain received funding from: ERC Grant Agreement N°324115-FRONTSEM (PI: Schlenker); Institute of Cognitive Studies, Ecole Normale Supérieure - Paris Sciences et Lettres (ANR-17-EURE-0017).</span></em></p>Designating an object with the movement of a finger is at the heart of human communication, yet precisely why we point isn’t clearly understood. A new paper indicates that it may be related to touch.Cathal O’Madagain, Chercheur en sciences cognitives, École normale supérieure (ENS) – PSLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1181112019-07-14T18:45:31Z2019-07-14T18:45:31ZIt’s not easy to give a robot a sense of touch<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280634/original/file-20190621-149822-pi1zcr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The sense of touch is generally measured by a sensor that can translate a pressure upon it into a small electrical signal.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>We have robots that can <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/05/these-humanoid-robots-can-autonomously-navigate-these-cinder-block-mazes-thanks-to-ihmc/">walk</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-robots-see-the-world-51205">see</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/interview-ai-robot-sophia-hanson-robotics-2017-12">talk and hear</a>, and <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/07/watch-robot-hand-learn-manipulate-objects-just-human-hand">manipulate objects in their robotic hands</a>. There’s even a <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/nze7ek/robots-can-smell-now">robot that can smell</a>.</p>
<p>But what about a sense of touch? This is easier said than done and there are limitations to some of the current methods being looked at, but we’re developing a new technique that can overcome some of those problems.</p>
<p>For humans, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/1/28/7925737/touch-facts" title="9 surprising facts about the sense of touch">touch plays a vital role</a> when we move our bodies. Touch, combined with sight, is crucial for tasks such as picking up objects – hard or soft, light or heavy, warm or cold – without damaging them.</p>
<p>In the field of robotic manipulation, in which a robot hand or gripper has to pick up an object, adding the sense of touch could remove uncertainties in dealing with soft, fragile and deformable objects.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-you-should-always-shake-hands-with-a-robot-41731">Why you should always shake hands with a robot</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The quest for smart skin</h2>
<p>Quantifying touch in engineering terms not only requires the precise knowledge of the amount of external force applied to a touch sensor, but you also need to know the force’s exact position, its angle, and how it will interact with the object being manipulated.</p>
<p>Then there is the question about how many of these sensors a robot would need. Developing a robot skin that could contain hundreds or even thousands of touch sensors is a challenging engineering task.</p>
<p>Understanding the <a href="https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/skin-touch/">physical mechanisms of touch sensing in the biological world</a> provides great insights when it comes to designing the robotic equivalent, a <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-electronic-skin-26930">smart skin</a>. </p>
<p>But a significant barrier for the development of smart skin is the electronics required.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OxPlCkTKhzY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Human skin has a multitude of sensors.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Everyday force and touch measurement</h2>
<p>The sense of touch is generally measured by a sensor that can translate pressure into a small electrical signal. When you use a digital scale to weigh yourself or measure out ingredients in your kitchen, the scales are probably using a <a href="https://www.explainthatstuff.com/piezoelectricity.html">piezoelectric transducer</a>. </p>
<p>This is a device that turns a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcJXA8IqYl8">force into electricity</a>. The tiny electrical current from the transducer is then run through wires to a small microchip that reads the strength of the current, converts that into a meaningful weight measurement, and displays it on a screen.</p>
<p>Despite being able to sense different levels of force, these electronic devices have several limitations that make then impractical for smart skin. In particular, they have a relatively slow response time to the force.</p>
<p>There are other types of touch sensors based on a material changing its other electric characteristics, such as capacitance or resistance. Your mobile phone screen may have this technology built in, and if you use a trackpad on your computer it will certainly use touch sensors.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-robot-that-can-touch-eat-and-sleep-the-reality-of-cyborgs-like-alita-battle-angel-110430">A robot that can touch, eat and sleep? The reality of cyborgs like Alita: Battle Angel</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Soft and flexible force sensing</h2>
<p>There has been great progress in recent years in making touch sensors that can be <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-electronic-skin-26930">embedded into soft and flexible materials</a>. This is exactly what we need for smart skin. </p>
<p>But many of these developments completely fail (due to the sensing type) in the presence of moisture. (Have you ever tried a wet finger on your smart phone’s touch screen?) </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c4Gx6oG7hRc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Water and some types of touch sensing technology do not mix.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Medical applications are now a main driver behind the demand for flexible and robust force sensing. For example, smart skin could be used to restore sensory feedback to patients with skin damage or peripheral neuropathy (numbness or tingling). It could also be used to give prosthetic hands <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf-bppOp5XI">basic touch-sensing ability</a>.</p>
<p>Recently, researchers from MIT and Harvard have developed a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1234-z">scalable tactile glove</a> and combined it with artificial intelligence. Sensors uniformly distributed over the hand can be used to identify individual objects, estimate their weight, and explore the typical tactile patterns that emerge while grasping them. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FFZIyRcIuQ8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>The researchers created a glove with 548 sensors assembled on a knitted fabric containing a <a href="https://www.electronicdesign.com/components/what-s-difference-between-piezoelectric-and-piezoresistive-components">piezoresistive</a> film (which also reacts to pressure or strain) connected by a network of conductive thread electrodes.</p>
<p>This is the first successful attempt at recording such signals at large scale, revealing important insights that can be used in future design of prosthetics and robot grasping tools.</p>
<p>But just like almost all other touch interfaces that are designed with capacitive, resistive or piezoelectric techniques, this tactile technology does not work well with wet fingers or underwater.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sex-robots-are-here-but-laws-arent-keeping-up-with-the-ethical-and-privacy-issues-they-raise-109852">Sex robots are here, but laws aren't keeping up with the ethical and privacy issues they raise</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Optical force sensing on the horizon</h2>
<p>To address this problem, we have developed a <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.9b04671" title="Organic Optoelectronic Diodes as Tactile Sensors for Soft-Touch Applications">new form of tactile sensor</a> that uses nanometre-thin films of <a href="https://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-oleds-and-leps-work.html">organic LEDs</a> (OLED) and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adma.201505405" title="Organic Photodiodes: The Future of Full Color Detection and Image Sensing">organic photodiodes</a> (OPD) for measuring soft touch. </p>
<p>OLED technology is normally found in television and smartphone screens. Our approach to measuring the sense of touch is based on optical force sensing.</p>
<p>The OLED elements (called diodes or pixels) are actually fully reversible. This means that as well as being able to produce light (like in a TV screen), these pixels can also detect light.</p>
<p>Using this principle we can manufacture a tiny, opaque, flexible dome with a reflective coating that is placed above some OLED pixels. Light emitted from the central pixel is uniformly distributed across all other pixels under the dome if the dome is not disturbed. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283781/original/file-20190711-173325-c502ay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283781/original/file-20190711-173325-c502ay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/283781/original/file-20190711-173325-c502ay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=774&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283781/original/file-20190711-173325-c502ay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=774&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283781/original/file-20190711-173325-c502ay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=774&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283781/original/file-20190711-173325-c502ay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=973&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283781/original/file-20190711-173325-c502ay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=973&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/283781/original/file-20190711-173325-c502ay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=973&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A single touch element made up of a dome over some OLED pixels. Top, when nothing touches the dome an equal amount of light reflects from the light emitting pixel B, to the light detecting pixels A and C. Bottom, when something touches the dome, it is deformed and the amount of reflected light changes between pixels A and C.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ajay Pandey</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But if the dome is pressed – by touching something – it will deform, resulting in an unequal response from the pixels being used to detect the reflected light. Combining the responses from dozens of these domes in the area of contact it will be possible to estimate the force being applied.</p>
<p>This approach is a significant step towards simplifying the smart skin layout for large area applications and we hope that we will soon see robots that can have full body sensing in the air, when wet or even underwater.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118111/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ajay Pandey receives funding from Australian Renewable Energy Agency, Department of Industry Innovation and Science. He is an Editorial Board Member of the open access journal Scientific Reports.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jonathan Roberts is a Chief Investigator at the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision. He receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre.</span></em></p>Our sense of touch lets us know how hard or soft something is, how solid or pliable it is to handle. That’s an important skill if you want robots to handle things safely.Ajay Pandey, Senior Lecturer (Intelligent Bionics and Soft Robotics), Queensland University of TechnologyJonathan Roberts, Professor in Robotics, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1166932019-05-09T12:57:22Z2019-05-09T12:57:22ZNumbing a body part can boost sensory powers elsewhere – here’s what that tells us about the brain<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273525/original/file-20190509-183096-10mqt12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">If one of your hands is anaesthetised, the remaining one will be better at touch perception.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/womans-hand-touch-young-wheat-ears-285318626?src=l4tYP0kH5KaU1UmwjkIosQ-1-10">AlexMaster/Shuttestock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When you wake up in the middle of the night in total darkness, it can feel as if
you have auditory superpowers. Suddenly, you can hear floorboards creak storeys below and the softest rustle of foxes destroying the bins outside, once again. Indeed, it is common wisdom that when you lose one sense, the remaining senses heighten.</p>
<p>Research with people experiencing long-term sensory deprivation, such as blindness or deafness, appears to support this notion. People born without sight can indeed <a href="http://www.jneurosci.org/content/23/8/3439.short">feel</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028393209003340">hear</a> things significantly beyond the range of the sighted.</p>
<p>Brain data initially seemed to explain these sensory superpowers. When a major sensory input is lost, the brain area that would have supported the missing sense now becomes active to other inputs. This can happen <em>across</em> sensory systems – like <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15772968">visual areas activating to touch</a> in the blind. But it can also happen <em>within</em> sensory systems – such as the brain area of an amputated hand becoming <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/01273">more responsive to touch</a> on the opposite hand or the remaining part of the amputee’s arm. It was <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19935836">long assumed</a> that more brain space meant more processing power and, therefore, should also mean enhanced perceptual powers for the invading sense.</p>
<p>While this is still the consensus across the scientific world, the idea is starting to attract some <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28214130">unexpected controversy</a>. Our new paper, published in the <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2019-19962-006.pdf">Journal of Experimental Psychology: General</a>, has shed some light on the problem.</p>
<p>One reason behind the recent controversy is that sensory enhancement in blind individuals may simply result from their dependence on touch to get by, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3159519/">increased exposure</a> to fine tactile discrimination, such as braille. Indeed, scientists have been able to train people with intact vision to show <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03205550">similarly impressive touch discrimination</a> as blind people, with sufficient training. That is, it may not be that case that blind people are using their visual cortex to process touch at all.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273528/original/file-20190509-183112-1u4erzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273528/original/file-20190509-183112-1u4erzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273528/original/file-20190509-183112-1u4erzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273528/original/file-20190509-183112-1u4erzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273528/original/file-20190509-183112-1u4erzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273528/original/file-20190509-183112-1u4erzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273528/original/file-20190509-183112-1u4erzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Braille.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nixx Photography/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Other studies have found no evidence of sensory deprivation boosting sensory perception where it would be expected (for example, in <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03208032">blindness</a> or following <a href="https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/125/6/1256/290401">amputation</a>).</p>
<h2>The experiment</h2>
<p>To dig deeper, we experimentally caused temporary sensory deprivation in a group of volunteers and compared the results with those of a control group – a total of 36 participants. Using a simple anaesthetic – Lidocaine, like you get at the dentist – we blocked touch and movement perception of a single finger of our participants. The anaesthetic was applied twice (on consecutive days), and lasted about two hours.</p>
<p>We found that this very small period of deprivation lead to significant improvements in touch perception of the finger directly adjacent to the anaesthetised finger, with no changes in the other digits. Why just the neighbouring finger? Research with primates shows that when one finger is lost, it’s <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6725633">mostly the neighbouring fingers</a> that claim the missing finger brain territory.</p>
<p>Our results show that the brain immediately boosted touch perception in one of the remaining fingers of our “temporary finger amputees” – suggesting short term deprivation can indeed have functional benefits for perception, without training.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273524/original/file-20190509-183109-1jjq6se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273524/original/file-20190509-183109-1jjq6se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273524/original/file-20190509-183109-1jjq6se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273524/original/file-20190509-183109-1jjq6se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273524/original/file-20190509-183109-1jjq6se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273524/original/file-20190509-183109-1jjq6se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273524/original/file-20190509-183109-1jjq6se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The brain responds to an anaesthetised and a lost finger in the same way.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jarva Jar/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What’s more, in another group, we showed that blocking touch perception on the index finger boosted the effect of a sensory training procedure applied to the middle finger – its effects were more widespread across the hand than in a non-anaesthetised group.</p>
<h2>Stroke rehabilitation and beyond</h2>
<p>These results are exciting as – unlike some past studies – we can actually show that sensory deprivation has different, and separable effects when used by itself, and when used to <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-you-train-yourself-to-develop-super-senses-86172">boost the effects of sensory training</a>. </p>
<p>Crucially, this holds promising implications for rehabilitation following brain damage. For example, sensory function of a hand affected by stroke <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16358329">can be improved by a sensory block</a> of the opposite, unaffected hand. It also helps us understand a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4361809/">popular therapy for stroke</a> that requires the unaffected arm to be bound, forcing use of the affected arm. It may be that this works partly thanks to the sensory and motor deprivation resulting from the “good arm” being bound. If this can be shown to truly be the case, we can use this knowledge to further push what this therapy can achieve. </p>
<p>The research can also help us answer a bigger question in neuroscience. While we show that sensory brain resources can be reallocated within a sensory modality – meaning a finger can use the brain territory of another finger to support touch perception – it remains unclear whether the brain can learn to reuse an area designed to support a different sense. So we still haven’t shown whether the vision area of the brain could be used for a completely different purpose. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28214130">Very new perspectives</a> suggest that this kind of reorganisation might be too extreme, and brain areas are limited to the general functions they were designed for. </p>
<p>While nobody denies that there are changes in brain activity after sensory deprivation, it is unclear whether such changes are necessarily “functional” – affecting how we move, think or behave. But we are certainly edging closer to understanding the complicated brain processes that enable the sensory experiences that ultimately make life worth living.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/116693/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Harriet Dempsey-Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New research involving temporary ‘finger amputations’ raises hope for more effective stroke rehabilitation.Harriet Dempsey-Jones, Postdoctoral Researcher in Cognitive Neurosciences, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.