I reckon one of the most under-rated tools of communication is touch. Unfortunately, in the era of political correctness and gender sensitivity, we had to take touch out of the equation. I might be tempted to agree that we did benefit with creeps keeping their slimy hands to themselves. But in this column, I want to offer that in the ostracism of touch from modern society, we have lost a long-standing ally. 

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Let's study the evolution of touch over the agesIn pre-historic times, we would have first developed touch to communicate with each other. Long before we had words, language, music and painting. Touch has had evolutionary roots. 

From the womb to birthBabies learn the sensation of touch with the fluids that protect and nourish the baby in the womb. The heartbeat of the mother sends reassuring vibrations to the baby. The amniotic fluid also acts as a channel of communication. The external touch of the mother is also known for its therapeutic benefits. We first develop neurons, nerve fibres and sensory transmitters in the skin to read and transmit information. When a baby is born, the famous whack from the doctor leads to the first reassuring cry of the baby. Perhaps the first touch of a second person. 

The baby spaMassages make babies more alert, learn faster and put on weight faster. Premature babies recover faster, are friendlier, sleep better, have lesser sleep disorders, lower asthma and become more attentive. A massage helps them with lower stress hormones and higher serotonin. 

Duh! If I went to a spa twice every day, I would have all these benefits too. Besides research, just ask your grandmothers and aunts. They will whack you if you asked them for evidence. Yet another touch!

Touch for childrenTouch aids attachment. Absence of physical bonding has been associated with attachment and emotion related issues. Some developmental psychologists have proposed that the origins of violence is associated with the lack of bonding with mothers. 

Touch and adults – FriendsIt is a cute sight when you are sitting in a coffee shop in front of, say two girls. One of them notices an attractive guy pass by, there is that friendly aide elbow nudge to attract the person's attention and then the “chin point” to indicate the direction in which the said Adonis just went. Friends indulge in high-fives, hugs, back slaps, knuckle punch, macho handshakes and chest bumps. In times of sadness, we use a soft calming touch to calm a person. Sometimes in fear, we might suddenly grab a person’s elbow for support. A gentle squeeze might indicate reassurance. 

Touch and intimate relationshipsIntimate relationships are signaled through touch. It continues till at least a few years into one's marital lives. After sometime, touch often goes away from relationships. One of the first indications of a relationship on the decline might be the lessening of touch. Research indicates that the sign of a healthy relationship is how your partner responds to your touch. Combined with eye contact and even an accidental touch, a touch enhances the impact. Touch indicates sexual desire and love better. 

Touch is used more often than we know and more subconsciously speaks the emotional truth. 

Matthew Hertenstein and Touch CharadesHave you ever played Dumb Charades, where a person acts out the name of a movie and his team has to guess it? Well Matthew Hertensteindid had something similar in his research on the language of touch. He had participants blindfolded and another participant had to communicate certain emotions through touch. Guess what. The blindfolded participants could guess emotions such as anger, fear, disgust, love, gratitude, sympathy, happiness and sadness with 78% accuracy. 

I guess I can take the liberty of calling this communication of emotions through touch as Touch Charades.  

We think we are not experts at Touch Charades.Before the study, Hertenstein asked the participants if they would be able to guess the emotion being communicated. Most did not believe that they had the requisite skill. We seem to know this language, but we do not seem to use it often. Hertenstein asserts that touch may be more versatile than voice and facial expressions while communicating emotions. We might get confused with voice and expressions, but when combined with touch, we can never go wrong in our interpretation. 

So then what prevents the use of touch?

Touch across culturesIt may not be intuitive, but culture plays an important role in touch. Warm climates are more conducive to touch than cold climates. One school of thought is that in cold climates, the body is covered with layers of clothes and therefore communication through touch might be muted. 

Touch has great influence from culture. In Japan, touch is generally avoided except for handshakes. People in France, Italy and South America are more amiable to touch than say in UK and Scandinavia. More later about India and the Orient. 

Touch and ageAs people grow older, they have fewer people attending to them. They crave the human touch more. As youngsters, we take it for granted. 

At work - stay out of troubleOur employee handbooks pretty much forbid touch. The only time we use touch at work is handshakes and high fives. Sometimes we might get carried away and indulge in a back slap. As managers you worry about lawsuits. As subordinates you worry about being seen as inappropriate. As a result we are leaving behind a bit of evolutionary tools and aids. 

So are there benefits to touch?

Touch and healthTouch calms the body and soothes it away from stress. Hugs have been known to improve the immune system by lowering blood pressure and heart rates. The gentle pressure on the solar plexus chakra balances the production of white blood cells. Women who received hugs and back rubs from their partners showed lower blood pressure. 

Touch – trust and teamworkWe use touch for teamwork and cooperation. Symbols such has high fives and chest bumps signal inclusion. A pat on the back is encouragement to continue the good work. Touch even improves trust levels. A simple touch can activate neural receptors on the skin which directly elicits an emotional response. As a result the region of the brain associated with reward and compassion is activated. 

Touch in sportsMichael Kraus tracked the physical contact during NBA games. It led to higher individual win scores, higher team performance and team cooperation. Now think back to the jumping, hugs, head and chest bumps. They might seem primal, but effective.

Touch and learning skillsAppropriate touch at school and class encouraged class participation. In school libraries, when the librarian had inadvertently given a friendly pat to students, they were more likely to return to the library. They evaluated the library clerk and the library more favourably, even when students had not noticed the touch. 

Touch and elder careResidents of senior living felt unwanted due to a lack of physical contact. It increased their chances of loneliness. 

Touch and self careWe touch our hair, earlobes, scratch our heads, massage our eyes, neck, arms, elbows and forehead, we rub our hands, without even noticing it. The self-massage lowers cortisol, which is the stress hormone. It calms us down. So we have inbuilt spas! 

Touch and generosity People were more generous and selfless when there was a friendly touch.  

The Midas Touch– Patrons beware!Jacob Hornik in his paper Tactile Simulation and Consumer Response demonstrated that customers were more likely to buy goods that they had physically touched. That is why shop assistants will ask you to touch, hold, or try on or taste a product. 

Shoppers were more likely to stay longer in the shop, more likely to buy the product and had a higher evaluation of the store if a shop assistant had touched them. 

In auctions, people who touched an auction item, bid upto 60% more than those who had not touched the item. 

Once we touch a product, there is a connection. We do not want to let go of the product. We seem to own it already. With great difficulty we put it back on the shelf. It is not greed. It is just that we made a connection. 

Interestingly, these touches could have been barely noticeable, but the skin picks up the signals and sends it to the brain. 

April Crusco and Christopher Wetzel found that the effect was strong when the touch was unobtrusive. They called this the Midas Touch. 

Types of touchThe scientific word for communication using touch is called Haptic Communication. Richard Heslin in his paper 'Steps Towards a Taxonomy of Touching' categorised them into five categories.  

•    Functional or professional expresses task-orientation and direction. •    Social or polite expresses ritual interaction through symbols. •    Friendship or warmth expresses individual relationships.•    Love or intimacy expresses emotional attachment.•    Sexual or arousal expresses sexual intent. 

So now, what next for touch?Yes, a few creeps have ruined it. But with the correctness, we are also removing touch from the repertoire of human communications. 

Teachers are not allowed to touch students. Gosh, I learned a lot when my teacher whacked me on my head! Unknowingly, or maybe knowingly, she communicated to me that we will look after you like our own. We will love you and we will punish you. I think it was both, they had the freedom and they cared enough. 

At work, we are already not allowed to use touch. But we can still use it at homes. Use it with our kids. Use it with good loving intent. 

Paradoxically, the great Indian healing tradition of Panchkarma revolves around the healing powers of touch. Our forefathers recognised the power of touch. Think about the tradition of touching the feet. The namaskar. The offerings we make with our hands. The tradition of eating with fingers instead of chopsticks or silverware is testament enough. The traditions of spices ground by hand, instead of gadgets. Think of the phrase, “made it with my own hands” or “food made by mother’s own hand”. 

We innately recognise the power of touch. 

I usually talk about positivity and productivity at the workplace. I am famous for giving out free hugs. So far…I have not been sued! Remember, we already know the language of touch charades. Be sensitive and unobtrusive while using touch. People can smell good intent. Try it with people you know. Over a period of time, with good intent we will get better at it. So…speak the language of touch charades!

The author is the founder of The Positivity Company, where he helps business leaders become more positive and productive.