{"id":416,"date":"2022-12-15T14:20:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T22:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/the-human-touch\/"},"modified":"2023-08-29T12:38:30","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T19:38:30","slug":"the-human-touch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/the-human-touch\/","title":{"rendered":"The Human Touch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3795-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3795-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"The Human Touch\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  (Image Source: iStock.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=arts-and-culture\">Arts and Culture<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>The Human Touch<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  From cradle to grave, touch brings us comfort, pleasure and sometimes pain, reminding us of our countless connections to the world and to humanity \u2014 including our own.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Meredith McGroarty<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">December 15, 2022<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" 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class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Bluesky<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_email\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#email\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"E-mail\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_print\">\n              <svg height=\"12\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 12\" width=\"18\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>Of all the heartrending phrases that came to define the deprivations of the COVID-19 pandemic, one stands out as particularly poignant: \u201cskin hunger\u201d \u2014 our visceral need for skin-to-skin contact.<\/p>\n<p>Touch has the power to express or trigger countless feelings, from love, desire and comfort to menace, aversion or fear, often conveying the nuances of what our words cannot adequately voice. Perhaps then it is not surprising that touch is also the sense that philosophers and artists through the ages have embraced to define what it means to be human.<\/p>\n<p>Aristotle believed that the sense of touch is what separates animals from plants, and its complexity in humans is what distinguishes us from other creatures. He posited that humans, lacking the tough hides, shells or hooves that protect other animals, often must rely on touch to keep us from harm: A scalding drop signals that the water is too hot; a sharp edge warns us to move away from a dangerous object.<\/p>\n<p>During the Renaissance, Michelangelo\u2019s depiction of the creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel shows God reaching out to touch Adam\u2019s outstretched finger, the contact signifying the origin of humanity itself.<\/p>\n<p>One of our oldest and most ubiquitous social customs, shaking hands dates back to the fifth century BCE. What began as a way to signal that neither person was carrying a weapon was widely adopted as a symbol of peace and friendship and an expression of trust and good intention. It has long been echoed in expressions such as \u201cstaying in touch\u201d and \u201closing touch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But in recent years, as we move into a progressively digital world where life is increasingly mediated through a screen rather than experienced directly, the hitherto primacy of touch faces challenges from artificial intelligence and haptic technologies, begging the question: Are we in danger of losing a significant part of what makes us human?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Childhood Comfort<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are some reasons to be optimistic. Skin-to-skin contact between infants and their parents is now widely recognized by pediatricians as vitally important in terms of bonding and development, although it\u2019s still a relatively new concept for some European and North American cultures. Even after the age-old custom of dispatching babies to a wet nurse had largely died out in the West by the early 20th century, the prevailing attitude, that touching and holding children, especially boys, would render them \u201csoft\u201d and spoiled, persisted, says\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/psyc\/psyc_faculty_display.cfm?person_id=1032709\">Darby Saxbe<\/a>, professor of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/\">psychology<\/a>\u00a0and director of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/labs\/usc-ccf\/\">Center for the Changing Family<\/a>\u00a0at USC Dornsife.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, it wasn\u2019t until the middle of the 20th century that animal experiments demonstrated that infant care entailed more than simply feeding a child to keep it alive. In the studies, baby monkeys were given a choice between two maternal simulations, both made of wire. One simulation dispensed milk. The other didn\u2019t, but was covered with soft cloth. The baby monkeys preferred the soft figure, even though it provided no food. This study and others, which showed how children who have a lack of physical contact with caregivers have more difficulty regulating emotions as adults, caused psychologists to shift course and stress the importance of touch and comfort in child development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe intentional approach of not being emotionally available to kids tends to backfire and create children and adults who are often more emotionally needy,\u201d Saxbe says. \u201cThere is a world of research that has really confirmed that young children need a lot of closeness and comfort in the early years of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"font-size: 1.2em; font-style: italic;\"><p>\u201cThe truth is we\u2019ve created very limiting conditions for a lot of people to receive touch.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>The Cuddle System<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But while recognition of the importance of touch in emotional development has led to pediatricians and psychologists promoting touch for young children and families, research shows that physical closeness is declining among adults.<\/p>\n<p>Loneliness has become a newsworthy topic in recent years, with some experts classifying the trend as a health epidemic. According to former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, \u201cLoneliness and weak social connections are associated with a reduction in lifespan similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But most people who discuss solutions to the issue of loneliness focus on medication and talk therapy and tend to ignore how physical proximity and touch \u2014 or the absence of it \u2014 affect mood, says alumna\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sushmasubramanian.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sushma Subramanian<\/a>. In her book,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cup.columbia.edu\/book\/how-to-feel\/9780231199322\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>How to Feel: The Science and Meaning of Touch<\/em><\/a> (Columbia University Press, 2021), Subramanian, who graduated in 2015 with degrees in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife-poir.usc.edu\/\">political science<\/a>\u00a0from USC Dornsife and print journalism from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, discusses several facets of the sense of touch, including how increased isolation has affected young people both romantically and socially.<\/p>\n<p>Subramanian believes the increases in loneliness have been fueled by the general isolation of our modern world: Living alone has become more common; friends gather less frequently, both due to the pandemic and the prevalence of the internet; and touch occurs mostly between romantic partners. Add to this the fact that an increasing awareness of personal boundaries has resulted in a decrease in casual or friendly touching, especially for men, and you have a difficult situation, she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe truth is we\u2019ve created very limiting conditions for a lot of people to receive touch,\u201d Subramanian says. \u201cMen can basically not touch unless they\u2019re in a romantic relationship or playing sports. It\u2019s more acceptable for women to touch each other, so maybe they\u2019re missing it less. But there are many limits on who gets to touch and when, depending on identity and class.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Returning to an age when people were expected to put up with unwanted touching is obviously not the answer, Subramanian says, but she notes that people have found some ways to increase physical contact in a positive way. She believes that one such response is the popularity of activities such as yoga, which encourage a positive awareness of and relationship with one\u2019s body. A number of groups have popped up online for people interested in gathering for platonic hugging and touching, and it is possible the future might see a rise in \u201cprofessional cuddlers\u201d who can provide nonsexual comfort or contact.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProfessional cuddling has been very valuable for a lot of people,\u201d Subramanian says. \u201cSome told me that by developing that practice of touch through a professional cuddler, they felt more confident going out in their lives and having romantic relationships and interactions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"align-right\" style=\"width: 250px;\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/the_human_touch_instorya-3795.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Blocking the Pain<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But touch does not simply exist in the emotional sphere; it is essentially a physical function. And one of its responses \u2014 pain \u2014 is at once essential for protection in some circumstances (for example, a signal to move one\u2019s hand away from a hot stovetop) and detrimental to a person\u2019s functioning in others. Understanding how and why we feel pain is an area of expertise for USC Dornsife\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/faculty-and-staff\/faculty.cfm?pid=1003516\">David McKemy<\/a>, professor of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/bisc\/\">biological sciences<\/a>, whose research explores how temperature regulation is linked to pain responses.<\/p>\n<p>Previous research using capsaicin \u2014 found in chili peppers \u2014 has examined the function of a bodily protein that senses heat. McKemy\u2019s research instead uses menthol \u2014 found in mint \u2014 to study how the body responds to cold. He is particularly interested in how a menthol receptor, which is a cold-sensing protein, functions in individuals with chronic pain conditions, such as migraines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA number of genome studies have looked for genes that might be associated with migraines, and one particular menthol-sensitive protein that enables us to detect cold temperatures keeps popping up in every single one of these studies,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople who have a specific mutation in this gene are more likely to have migraines and are more sensitive to cold because they make more of this protein. Another mutation in which individuals make less of this cold-sensing protein means those people aren\u2019t as likely to have migraines and can\u2019t sense cold as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to migraines, McKemy is interested in how chronic pain develops. For example, women undergoing treatment for breast cancer often report feeling pain when they come into contact with something cool, a side effect of the toxicity of chemotherapy. When there is damage or injury to part of the nervous system, McKemy has found that a small protein is released that interacts with the menthol receptor to increase its sensitivity to cold, causing pain. Blocking the function of this protein can specifically prevent this type of pain that occurs after injury, he notes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re focusing on understanding how these particular proteins might play a role in migraines and the chronic cold pain that people get in different conditions,\u201d McKemy says. In the future, the research may help prevent or better treat these types of cold-related pain.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A New Sensation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While McKemy\u2019s research seeks to identify the intricacies of sensation, USC Dornsife\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cf\/bisc\/faculty_display.cfm?Person_ID=1048570\">Andrew Hires<\/a>\u00a0is working on the topic from another angle: how to restore the ability to feel and touch in individuals who have lost it. Hires, assistant professor of biological sciences, is working with mouse models to identify how the brain senses the location of objects and how this translates into sensations of touch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m looking at how forces of touch are represented by patterns of electrical activity within the cortex of the brain,\u201d Hires says. \u201cThere\u2019s some integration that takes place, where the motion of the touch sensor, like fingers on a surface, has to be combined somehow with the signals coming from the fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hires\u2019 research looks at how mouse whiskers, which function similarly to fingers in humans, send signals to the brain when they move across an object or bump into a surface. Looking at how the cortex of the brain processes these signals, researchers observe patterns in brain activity that correspond to different perceptions or sensations of surfaces and objects. Then, by looking only at those brain patterns, researchers can deduce the positioning of an object encountered by the mouse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we look at how touch perception is represented in the brain, we find there\u2019s a lot of variation \u2014 or plasticity \u2014 in the activity patterns,\u201d Hires says. \u201cBy observing the neurons turned on at any given time and studying how they change, we hope to determine the rules that govern this reorganization and relearning of particular touch perceptions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If we understand the neural patterns the brain makes in response to certain sensations, it may be possible to help \u201cretrain\u201d the sense of touch. This could benefit survivors of strokes who suffer from paralysis by reprogramming the brain to receive sensations from the paralyzed body part. Understanding cortex signals could also help \u201cconnect\u201d the brain with artificial hands or feet, helping amputees restore feeling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, an amputee could be fitted with artificial fingers that can \u2018feel\u2019 the surfaces of things,\u201d Hires says. \u201cThis would work by stimulating particular nerve patterns within the remaining, biological arm. The brain can relearn to interpret those patterns in order to reawaken the \u2018sensation\u2019 of fingers in the prosthetic hand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Once More, With Feeling<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Aristotle\u2019s theory that touch is what sets humans apart from animals or plants may be scientifically incorrect \u2014 he had no way of knowing that one day science would show that the genomes of chimpanzees and humans are 96% identical. However, in highlighting how essential the sense is, and how it connects to the complexity of human emotions, his theory continues to present a strong metaphysical argument for what makes us human.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe live in bodies that are most alive when they\u2019re open and permeable to what is around us,\u201d Subramanian writes.<\/p>\n<p>When the handrail wobbles, we know to exercise caution in the face of potential danger; a hug from a family member conveys love and comfort; the cool caress of a silk blouse is synonymous with luxury; plunging our fingers into damp earth to plant a seed makes us feel in tune with nature.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTouch is a constant affirmation that we exist as selves, separate from our surroundings but connected to them,\u201d Subramanian writes in the conclusion of her book.<\/p>\n<p>And perhaps that is the aim of every human being \u2014 to live a life full with feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From cradle to grave, touch brings us comfort, pleasure and sometimes pain, reminding us of our countless connections to the world and to humanity \u2014 including our own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[96,109],"class_list":["post-416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-culture","tag-natural-sciences","tag-usc-dornsife-magazine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Human Touch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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