TOUCH Issue 8: Massage Chairs Will Never Replace Humans
A
dvancements in technology
have created some great
conveniences for us. When
electronic massage chairs
came out, they appeared
commonly in many retail
settings, especially in malls.
More recently we might see them
scattered throughout airports
or even available for homepurchase. Even though they’re
convenient, they’ll
never replace
massage by a
human.
There’s something
to be said for the
power of touch. As
yet, we don’t even
really
know
the
full extent of how
human
contact
provides all of the
benefits it does –
and we may never
truly know all the
component parts.
In some ways, I
hope we never do – because we
won’t be able to emulate it with
technology unless we quantify
all the aspects of touch.
When we place our hands
on one another, there are
immediate
and
prolonged
effects on our psycho-emotional
state. Anxiety, stress
and depression are all
reduced with human
massage and as yet,
we cannot produce
the same amount of
this with machines. We
get greater feelings
of happiness and
friendship, when we
get a massage from
someone;
and
we
often become fastfriends.
“Even through
massage chairs
now have
numerous
adjustable
settings, it’s just
not a responsive
tool.”
Even through massage
chairs now have
n u m e r o u s a d j u s t a b l e settings,
it’s just not a responsive tool.
A significant part of massage
work involves sensing where