KIDS
AND
TOUCH
It’s an unfortunate reality that
we live and are brought up in a
touch-deprived society. More
and more, parents are losing the
skill of compassionate touch and
aren’t passing that value onto their
children.
Without going into too much
detail, studies in the early 1900’s
proved that without a doubt,
compassionate touch is absolutely
essential for survival past infancy.
The studies were performed in
orphanages and produced chilling
results, yet they highlighted that
at least equivalent in importance
to food and water, another key
to living and thriving is physical
contact with another human.
Numerous
researchers
have
since described the plethora of
biochemical processes that take
place when we make contact with
another – highlighting the benefits
within the realms of individual
By Drew Hume
D E P R I VAT I O N
hormones and other chemical
compounds.
They’ve
also
extrapolated these results to human
behaviors, and regular touch is
associated with improved mood
and feelings of connection with
others, our empathetic response
and interpersonal skills, our degree
of cooperation, our mental clarity
and focus, our overall, along with
many more observable influences
on our day-to-day living. Don’t
we want all this for our kids? Don’t
we want them to grow up in a
positive-touch environment, which
aids in their communication skills
and helps them feel connected to
their family, peers and the world at
large?
In our present lifestyles and societies
we often see inappropriate touch
becoming more prevalent. This