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Why it’s important to explore the science of touch
Our long physical separations, in fear of COVID-19, reinforced what scientists already believed: that our close connections with others keep us healthy.
We experience the world through our senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste.
Among the five, the sense of touch is singularly important, a growing body of research confirms. As contributing writer Cynthia Gorney explains in this month’s cover story, “Human beings require the physical presence of others, the comforting touch of others, in order to stay healthy.”
At the School for Creativity in Andria, Italy, students learn that lesson at an early age. “The culture of touch in that school is daily,” says longtime National Geographic photographer Lynn Johnson. “Moment by moment. It’s very physical. They’re always hugging and kissing.” In the photo above, the children play a game in which a blindfolded student tries to recognize
