Touch

Touch is a very important part of life. It is a language that communicates love, understanding, and reassurance and at the same time creates a comforting and healing effect. Many of us go through life being "touch starved" and rarely experience the wonderful feeling of being fully satisfied. Research in recent years has revealed that deprivation of touch can lead not only to emotional disturbance, but also to diminished intellectual ability, impaired physical growth, reduced sexual interest, and deterioration of the immune system. In addition, many forms of deviant behavior, such as those involving depression, violence, aggression, and hyperactivity have been traced to the lack of touch.