ABSTRACT
Touch — and touch deprivation — have global physical and psychological effects on animal mammals. Compared with touch-deprived mammals, those that are sufficiently touched (licked/groomed/nuzzled) by their mothers have more robust immune systems; their physical growth proceeds normally; they incur significantly less damage to their bodily organs and physiological functioning; their longevity is increased; their cognitive prowess is greater; and their psychological health better — they are relaxed, friendly and fearless. The same is true of animals separated from their mothers and peers but gentled (gently handled/ stroked/petted) by humans.
Conversely, touch-deprived mammals display impairment of brain organs (the hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex...) and of bodily systems (immune, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, urinary, stress response, and growth systems...); their cognitive ability suffers — they learn more slowly, are less able to problem-solve, commit a greater number of errors than their tactually satisfied counterparts; and their psychological health suffers — they are tense, fearful and aggressive.
Because of similarities in the limbic system of animal and human brains, these findings have important implications for human health.
