People need physical contact. Children cannot develop healthily without it. But even in adulthood, physical contact is a key component of social interactions. However, as society becomes increasingly digitized, the frequency of genuine interpersonal contact is declining. Instead of greeting each other with a handshake or hugging when saying goodbye, people meet in online meetings or communicate via chat. What are the consequences?
This talk aims to shed some light on the patchwork of research on touch and to understand the frequency, context, and effects of everyday touch. At its core is the fundamental question of whether and how touch makes us more social. The connections uncovered in this way reveal touch to be not only a social but also a physiologically significant means of communication.
No future events in this series.