Importance of Human Touch - Research Paper Example

Importance of Human Touch Hugging is a ical way of exchanging affection, support or comfort in many human communities, with some communities reserving it for romantic purposes. There are various levels of contact that a hug should extend in different communities, largely due to cultural practices, values and norms. The majority of communities use hugs comfortably and publicly as a way of expression of affection. The psychological impact created is of a major concern for personal health specialists, where biochemical reactions arising from the exchange of affection confers beneficial attributes. It has been demonstrated that hormonal reactions take place with hormones such as oxytocin being released leading to production of beneficial effects. Personal Health One instance of beneficial effects is experienced during emotional support shown by human touch such as by a hug. According to Berkman (1995), lower cardiovascular risk is experienced by emotionally supported patients through hugs. Consequently, the adverse effects of the condition such as related mortalities considerably fall in people experiencing emotional support such as by hugs. Besides human touch, there are other quality practices expressing emotional support that contribute to personal health by producing beneficial effects to the body systems. Such practices include friendly facial expressions, speech and quality of words, hand holding and sitting together. Health benefits experienced through touch can not leave out enhanced oxytocin activity, a hormone with several roles in the body human systems. According to Insel and Young (2001), oxytocin roles in social recognition as well as partner preference are major sources of connectivity between individuals. Stimulation of oxytocin release by mere touch is useful in the mechanism of its operation especially in emotional touches such a hug. The specific benefit of reduction in blood pressure assists in personal health stability especially in healing conditions. In an experiment conducted by Amico et al (2005), it was observed that pre-menopausal women who live with emotional support from their husbands are exposed to lower blood pressure due to high oxytocin levels produced on touch. Emotional support is paramount to healthy existence according to the authors. Keating in her book (1987), lists several beneficial impacts of hugging in relation to personal health which range from easing tension to fighting insomnia. Physical touch among human beings is portrayed as a powerful tool for healing processes, and the author reports that the clinicians are currently trained to ensure that emotional touch bolsters patients healing rate. General social and physical health benefits have been explored by the author in her work to include; removal of loneliness, overcoming fears, establishes emotions, establishes self esteem, reduces aging rate, slows down appetite, relieve pain as well as anxiety. The author also explains that the effect of touch in young children can assist in the building of a strong IQ as well as language development. If touch is employed in upbringing of children, chances of overcoming several mental development disorders are increased since their mental health is highly boosted. In separate studies, a comprehensive therapy involving touch and hug has been used to as an intervention measure in autism. To illustrate the impact of touch in personal health, mental disorders can be used to show human responsiveness even in adverse situations such as compromised development. Consequently, it is equally possible or even better to apply the benefits of touch on ordinary normal human beings. Autism is a mental development disorder and the use of touch in the therapy is an indication of how powerful touch is in the human health. According to Williams (1996, p53), hug therapy has previously been done to project the feeling of love to autistic patients in an attempt to cast away the evil spell. The author indicates that the therapy makes the assumption that the expression of love goes deeper than the physical motions and contact made. For the therapy to be effective there must be a general acceptance by the patients that the persons hugging them love them. The power of touch is expressly presented by the fact that autistic individuals suffer from weaknesses of reading body languages or other gesticulations, but they are able to translate love and affection with a rare form of instinct. However, some autistic spectrum disorders display hypersensitivities that may cause translations of a hug as insensitivity by the patients. The author offers a remedy for those patients with a hypersensitivity of touch such that hugs are bothering to them. Foot massage particularly works well with for such autistic patients with hypersensitivity. Happiness generated after expression of affection works in a complex wired way to develop immune system boosting effects in the body. In the work done by Farinelli et al. (2007), it is reported that the Affection Exchange Theory (AET) communication in intimate contact can be used in establishment of desirable effects in health. Expression of affection goes deeper than just personal relationships since the internal body processes are favored by hormonal activities that ensue. Besides the AET, there is another study referred to as Stress Buffering Hypothesis (SBH) which provides that comfort generated from touch and emotional hugging confers stress shielding impacts. Generally, stress hormones suppress immune system integrity and pose problems to human healing conditions as well as health conditions. For instance, it has been demonstrated that stress hormone cortisol suppresses the operation of eosinophils, one of the major components of the immune system. It therefore follows that reduced emotional comfort dispels stress and raises immune system integrity. The authors report that the number of hugs received could considerably lower the amount of stress in a proportionate manner, just as they intervene in lowering the heart rate. Touch therapy techniques have increasingly been utilized as alternative medical therapies even if the ordinary medical covers leave them out of their provisions. Among the most common therapies involved in the techniques are; chiropractic therapy, massage therapy as well as relaxation therapy. Extensive research needs to be carried out on the effectiveness of the techniques for acceptance by major health care plans. During the therapies, there is a heavy adoption of general emotional communication where body systems are understood. For instance, certain massage methods recommended to depressed teenage mothers apply the biological fact that the right side of the brain processes negative emotions (Field, 2003, p40). Based on the reverse of this fact that the left side of the brain processes positive emotions, the mothers are advised on the motions to use during the massage for an effective massage to bear fruit. Depending on the level of acceptance of hugging as a social communication, different human communities allow public intimate contact to certain limits. It has widely been labeled indecent contact when a hug is prolonged in the public, especially between the members of the opposite sex. Several schools have had protests from the students following banning of prolonged hugging in the public (Grant, 2010). References Amico, J. A., Grewen, K. M., & Light, K. C. (2005) “More Frequent Partner Hugs and Higher Oxytocin Levels Linked to Lower Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Premenopausal Women.” Biological Physiology, 69, 5-21 Berkman, L. (1995) “The Role of Social Relations in Health Promotion.” Psychosomatic Medicine 57, 245–254. Farinelli, L., Floyd, K., Mikkelson, A. C. & Tafoya, M. A. (2007) “Human Affection Exchange: XIV. Relational Affection Predicts Resting Heart Rate and Free Cortisol Secretion During Acute Stress.” Behavioral Medicine, 32(4):151-156 Field, T. (2003) Touch. Boston, MA: MIT Press Grant, D. (2010) “Students Pan Hugging Ban.” Retrieved from: http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2010/Apr/15/ar_news_041510_story1.asp?d=041510_story1,2010,Apr,15&c=n Insel, T., & Young, L. (2001) “The Neurobiology of Attachment.” Neuroscience, 2,129–136. Keating, K. (1994) The hug therapy book. Center City, MN: Hazelden Publications Read More