Let us explore some of the ways touch can have a positive effect on infant development, school performance, depression and anxiety, as well as therapeutic applications in patients with disorders such as autism and Alzheimer’s.
Infants
“Touch is the first modality to develop in utero,” says Hertenstein. “It is just as important as nutrition, in some ways, in early life.” Research has shown that babies who receive nurturing touch are more likely to form healthy attachments to their caregivers, to gain weight and thrive during infancy. According to Tina Allen, founder of the LiddleKidz Foundation and also the nation’s first pediatric massage program at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, infant massage has been shown to help with colic, sleep regulation, brain development and sensory integration.
Children
Best-selling author, scientist, and autism activist, Dr. Temple Grandin, has spoken of the deep touch pressure device, or “squeeze machine,” that she developed to help overcome her own problems with oversensitivity to touch, a common phenomenon in those with autism. Grandin’s own research with the machine showed that children with autism as well as those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder both responded positively to it.
In a similar study, Field and her team found that after back rubs, severely autistic children performed better in school, staying on task and paying closer attention. When massaged at home by their parents, the same kids had fewer sleep issues. In another study, Field looked at preschoolers and the amount of affectionate touch they received from their caregivers and teachers. Field’s researchers found that kids who received a back rub before an IQ test performed much better than when they went without a pre-test massage.
These days, touching in a school setting is a fraught topic. While she acknowledges the sensitive nature of touching children, Field says that the benefits shouldn’t be overlooked. “Kids are missing out. They are getting touch deprived,” says Field.
Adolescents
Field and her team conducted studies comparing teens in Paris and Miami to measure how much they touched one another during social interactions — in this case, while hanging out at McDonald’s. The results showed that French teens of both genders engaged in all sorts of affectionate touch — from stroking and back rubbing to holding hands or just throwing their arms around one another’s shoulders. “In this country,” says Field, “we found more self-stimulating — flipping the hair, cracking knuckles and stroking knees.” Tactile stimulation increases serotonin, which counters aggressive behaviors, says Field.
The implication, she says, is that a lack of pleasant social touch among U.S. teens may be a contributing factor in school violence. “Studies show that if you deprive primates of touch, they become extremely aggressive and violent. They will actually kill each other.” In addition, as teen pain syndromes — fibromyalgia, lower back pain, migraine, and depression — rise in the United States, stimulating an increase in serotonin through massage may be a powerful tool to help combat these disorders.
Adults
Studies show that touch-deprived adults suffer decreased immune response, says Field. When cortisol (the stress hormone) is left unchecked, it attacks the body’s natural killer cells, which are instrumental in fighting of bacteria and viruses. The natural killer cells are also vital in fighting cancer cells. Touch can boost serotonin and lower cortisol. Field’s studies found that 30 minutes of massage can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol by almost 30 percent.
The Elderly
“If there is any age group who experiences an excessive deprivation of touch, it’s old age,” says Hertenstein, who says that this touch deprivation can result in depression and anxiety among older adults. Field notes an interesting study showing that elderly research subjects who served as massage therapists for infants did better when they massaged the infants than when they were massaged themselves. “Their serotonin levels went up, stress hormones decreased and they made fewer trips to the doctor,” says Field. The subjects also became more social.
According to research published in the Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, therapeutic touch has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress and effect psychological relaxation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Although the scientific benefits of touch are only just beginning to be discovered, initial research — and common sense — tells us that we should incorporate more of it, no matter what stage of life we are in.
This article was first published in Brain World Magazine’s Fall 2011 issue.
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