~ Curious Charlie ~

@ Monday, October 31, 2011

Something someone said the other week I found a bit "O.o", she said "humans need physical contact to develop." After googling a bit I found a study on it, there was one about orphans in an orphanage, and how they weren't touched (not in a wrong way btw) as kids are grow up with social/psychological development failure.

More stuff here and this is a great article (ignoring the spacing and layout design). Another fascinating article, Physical touch affects emotional mood. A sermon on the importance of touch.

...touch deprivation in infants is correlated with failure to thrive in early development, along with future aggressive and antisocial behavior (Bonitz, 2008)

Free Hugs Campaign

I found an amazing ebook, which you can buy. It's about Juan Mann's free hugs campaign. He felt sad one day, and gave random strangers hugs. And then other people started having signs for free hugs in public areas. The book is about Mann's journey, and hugs, a mission for 10,000 signs to allow him to continue free hugs, as some odd council person said he can't give free hugs, something about being a public liability. And it also has info + pictures about different types of hugs ^^.

From the ebook:

The Importance of Hugs

Touch is one of the most important of our five senses. Without it we feel detached from the people around us. It is one of the first senses we develop in the womb. One of the most commonly accepted forms of touch among people is also one of the first experiences we have in the world.

A hug!

There is no better way to understand the importance of hugs than to be deprived of them. For those who have experienced a deprivation of hugs, you will know how important they are to share.

In those dire moments of hug deprivation even one hug can be enough to cheer you up.
Research by US psychologists Karen Grewen and Karen Light has shown that when people hug the brain releases the chemical oxytocin. This encourages social bonding, increases our willingness to trust and decreases fear. It has also shown that hugs are great for your heart. A study was conducted that measured the heart rates and blood pressure of two groups of people, a group of huggers and a group of non-huggers. Those who went without hugs were found to have a higher blood pressure and resting heart rate in comparison to the group of huggers, who had noticeably healthier results.

In 1995 a pair of prematurely born twins were being cared for in hospital. While one of the twins seemed quite healthy, her sister was suffering. After trying a range of medical approaches, the nurse on duty, Gayle Kasparian, placed the twins in bed together. The twins immediately snuggled up to each other. As one placed her arm around the other, the frail infant’s health began to improve. You can never underestimate the power of a hug!

The need for hugs doesn’t disappear as we grow older, though it seems we are less willing to give them. Research on people of all ages has proven that a hug is essential for physical and emotional well-being.

Without hugs we can become sad, withdrawn and depressed. A hug provides solace, safety and tenderness. A hug provides us with social contact, an overall sense of wellbeing and a feeling of importance and belonging.

An interesting board on the topic of touch.