I took a class in college called "Speech Communications in Organizations" which had little to do with what we actually talked about. I think. Since we weren't allowed to take any notes in the class, I really can't remember what we learned.
One of the only things ever handed out to us was an article about how human babies will essentially whither and die if they are not touched and held. If I remember correctly, there was actually a king in Europe who tested this around the 15th century with infants taken from slaves. The nurses who cared for the children were not allowed to hold them except to feed them, and every child died within two weeks. What a horrible way to test our innate need for touch.
I read an article recently on the topic of health and human touch. We humans need four hugs (or touches) a day for survival, eight hugs a day for maintance and 12 hugs a day for growth.
How much we take touch for granted! Being in a new place with unfamiliar people, I've become acutely aware of this need, and I'm not typically an overly touchy person.
I'm now in a place where I'm not shaking hands with people on a regular basis, getting pats on the back, hugs from friends. I can physically feel the difference.
How strange it is that our personal health is so dependent on the affectionate touches of those around us.
1 comment:
I'd totally hump your leg if I were there. IN FACT, I'd even let you catch me sliding down stairs on a mattress, if you really needed it.
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