5 Reasons Why Physical Touch Is Very Important

Physical touches can be therapeutic for people with physical and emotional wounds

In the age of emerging telecommunications, technology has afforded us the ability to maintain a connection with just about anyone else in the world. Distance is no longer a hindrance to communication, and the exchange of ideas is made easier now than ever before. Most are now practically incapable of conducting our daily affairs without making use of a computer. We use our laptops to draft and store important documents.

We use our smartphones to help us navigate through life’s difficulties whenever we’re being mobile. We use home entertainment systems to keep updated on current events and popular culture. It’s hard to imagine life without making use of technology. It’s as if a society without all the smartphones, tablets, and televisions would be a world in a state of savagery. Technology really is taking the world by storm and its rapid progress has seemingly no end in sight.

One common criticism of the technology-driven generation is that it’s losing its humanity more and more every day. Some of its critics think that people spend an inordinate amount of time with their eyes glued to computer screens instead of the eyes of other people.

It’s as if we’ve been granted tools to communicate with people on the other side of the world, but we’ve also been offered distractions from conversing with the people who are a few feet away from us. This new era of technological mania will have its ardent supporters as well as its harshest detractors, but the fact is that technology will continue to play a big role in our lives.

So the question is: Where does human interaction fit in our new world? Do we disregard the value of interacting with people within our immediate vicinities in favour of new technologies? Short answer: we shouldn’t. There is still value in maintaining close ties with people. It would be absolutely depressing to only be surrounded by robots and circuitry for prolonged periods of time. No man is an island; man is always a social animal.

We always crave social interaction with other people. One particular reason as to why we can’t replace traditional communication with technological ones is the value of the physical touch. Nothing can replace the role a physical touch can play on a human being’s psychology. Here are 5 reasons as to why we need personal touch every day:

1. Physical touch is the most natural form of communication.

Back in the earliest days of civilization where language wasn’t an established social construct yet, communication was done in its simplest and most natural form: touching. When we engage in physical contact with other people, we are going back to our roots as a civilization; back to where we are most comfortable.

Many people underestimate the value of engaging in physical contact with others, but once you take that opportunity away, they will realize just how much they will miss it. Physical interaction with other people is hardwired into our intuitions.

2. Physical touch offers a level of intimacy that technology cannot reach.

Yes, we can practically Skype our loved ones any time we want whenever they’re working abroad, but nothing can ever replace the feeling of having them right beside you in bed. There’s a level of intimacy that just can’t be established over an internet connection.

In order for our relationships to flourish, we always have to find ways to express our affection for one another. Yes, technology is able to bridge some gaps that are created by distance; however, this level of interaction has an emotional ceiling. For instance, sexual intercourse isn’t as magical as it is in person than when done over a cell phone or a webcam.

3. Non-verbal communication is most clear when making use of physical touches.

There are two types of communication: Verbal and non-verbal. Sometimes, there are ideas that words just can’t reach or express accurately. We may not notice it, but we tend to use non-verbal methods of communication more often than we think.

It plays an important part in our life. One very prominent kind of non-verbal communication is making use of the physical touch. We communicate with handshakes, with hugs, with kisses, with slaps, with punches, and with high-fives to name a few.

4. Physical touch offers a physical transfer of positive energy between people.

We are so fascinated by the speedy transfer of data with the use of a few fibre optic wires. It’s as if this technological marvel is a phenomenon never seen before in the history of civilization. But what most people don’t realize is that we’ve been transferring energy via physical contact since the dawn of civilization.

There are just no limits to the amount of positive energy someone could transfer with the use of hugs, kisses, and pats on the back.

5. Physical touches can be therapeutic for people with physical and emotional wounds.

We all have scars: both physical and emotional. There is just no denying the value of physical touches in healing these wounds. Doctors use physical touch to heal our external wounds and physical sicknesses. Our loved ones try to heal our souls with hugs and intertwined hands. These are levels of healing that technology just can’t provide.

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