Touch is arguably one of the more overlooked senses, and we only seem to pay attention to touch when we are robbed of it.

In this week's episode, I take a deep dive into the science, benefits, and impacts of touch with Professor Francis McGlone (Liverpool John Moores University)

We touch on a variety of topics, including:

How touch impacts our development

Why we need to incorporate touch into conversation around loneliness

How to counter 'touch starvation' in the Covid-19 pandemic

Touch makes up an intrinsic part of the human experience: it's how we connect with others and form social bonds, and it's time we pay more attention to how this absence of touch - caused by social distancing and isolation - is impacting our lives.

Links:

http://www.achild2child.co.uk/index.php

https://playtherapy.org.uk

https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/staff-profiles/faculty-of-health/school-of-psychology/francis-mcglone

Disclaimer:

Not all types of touch are welcome and appropriate, and touch can be very threatening. In this episode, we do not discuss this, instead hoping to equip people with the knowledge of how appropriate touch can benefit their wellbeing. Helping people to understand touch means they can understand what is harmful, and regulate boundaries.