Skin Hunger: How important is the human touch?

A thought came to me this morning when I was on the train to work. Almost as if someone hit me right on the head, which would’ve been surprising seeing as we were squashed in the carriage like sardines. With everyone fighting, squashing past each other to get on the train to work, you’re lucky if you can move your hand to scratch your nose if you had an itch.

It was that thought precisely that came to me. When you brush your hair, wipe your face or hold your arm up you don’t think anything of it. You don’t think of anything when you need to touch your own skin. But what about touching someone else? Or someone touching you? How does that make you feel? How often do we actually make contact with someone else?

I can tell you it’s not as often as you think.

When you look around you, on the streets, tube or even in a coffee shop, you notice that we live in such a busy, crowded world, yet it’s so easy for many of us to go days, even weeks or months without touching or being touched by others.

We get huffy when someone’s standing too close for our liking on the underground, and we flinch when someone hands us our change and accidentally comes into contact with our skin.

Think about when you’re at your job if you’re in an office, how often do you come into contact with your colleagues? Apart from shaking hands with a new client, do you actually touch anyone or does anyone touch you the rest of that day?

It’s different if you’ve got kids and a significant other because contact with people is unique to each person. What touch I get is from my boyf when he’s in town, and my dog, and that’s more than enough for me.

Sometimes my OCD kicks in and I can’t stand being physically near people. We all know I hate sneezes, so if there were less people then I wouldn’t get so stressed, but then again I’m sure that happens with everyone. Like when you’re in a bad mood and feel like nothing can shake it off, the last thing you need is someone’s sympathetic hand to pat you on the arm.

There are moments when I feel like I hate mankind, the world and everything in it, I know I can’t disappear, so the next logical thought would be to move to a desert island. It’d be nice and peaceful and no one would be there to annoy me. As much as I’d love to be alone, I’d still take my dog. I’d need him. Why? Because his touch is what I need. He keeps me sane.

Humans need to be socialised; mentally, emotionally, and physically from birth, however, our needs lessen as we mature. How much that lessens would depend on each persons experiences.

I like hugs, and even asked What’s in a Hug? a couple of years ago.

When was the last time you had someone give you a big innocent hug? How did that simple hug feel? What emotions did it evoke in you? Did you feel warm and fuzzing inside? Did you feel complete for those couple of seconds?

We all need human affection. Can we live without it? Yes of course we can – should we? No, I don’t think we should.

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