for developing trust. How can
we trust people we’ve never
touched? The answer is you
don’t really ever trust people
you haven’t touched. It simply
cannot happen unless they’ve
gone so far as to give up their life
for you.
An example that you might be
able to relate to is when you
meet someone for the first time
and all you do is wave at each
other…Isn’t it the most awkward
thing that leaves you feeling
like something is just “off” about
Another really unique aspect
of touch is that there is an
enormous amount of information
conveyed through even a
single second of contact. To
the point where you can almost
immediately tell when someone
is being disingenuous when they
touch you (if they touch you
at all), or if they’re overjoyed,
sad, angry or any number of
“there is an enormous amount of information
conveyed through even a single second of contact.”
the other person? Well, no
offense, but I can pretty much
guarantee that they feel the
same way about you – and it’s
simply because you didn’t shake
hands, or give them a hug. The
pleasantries were not skipped
per se, but the physical contact
was our opportunity to develop
trust and that was definitely
skipped.
On a biochemical level, each
time you make physical contact
with someone Dopamine is
released. Dopamine is one of
the “joy hormones” and part
of its role is to develop deeper
bonds with people; more solid
connections.
emotions. So touch also shows
you the truth – even/especially
when words aren’t. And when
we are given the truth we are
given the opportunity to trust
more deeply.
What does this mean within an
organization? As soon as we