Touch matters. We’re hardwired for healthy touch. Newborns need it for growth and development; children need loving touch to feel secure; as adults we need it to build bonds and connection. 

Touch validates life. It helps us heal and learn how to become a citizen of humanity. It’s essential to our mental, emotional and physical well-being. Research shows that touch improves mood, decreases stress, reduces pain, and boosts the immune system. 

In our constantly connected, 24/7 society, many of us are feeling the effects of touch deprivation more than ever.

Our skin—our body’s largest organ—is alive with millions of nerve endings, essentially acting as an “external nervous system.” When the skin is stimulated, it sends signals to the brain, which in turn helps regulate the body. That means the way we’re touched deeply influences how we feel. A jolt of hot coffee sends a pain signal; a gentle stroke across the forehead can melt us into a state of calm. Touch isn’t just physical—it’s emotional, hormonal, even spiritual. Studies show that positive, nurturing touch—like massage—not only soothes the nervous system, but also sparks the release of oxytocin, the “feel-good” hormone that promotes connection, reduces stress, and boosts overall well-being.

In fact, a single massage session can shift your biochemistry. The strokes of massage deliver 10 times more oxygen to targeted areas of the body, increasing circulation and supporting the repair and maintenance of muscles and tissues. It’s no wonder we feel so good afterward—our bodies are being nourished from the outside in.

Tiffany Field, Ph.D., who has been studying the effects touch for 40 years, is director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. She says the benefits of touch stem from simply moving the skin. “When you move the skin, you activate pressure receptors (specialized nerve endings), so you want to stimulate the skin through massage, self-touch, some type of physical movement or exercise,” she explains. This stimulation calms the nervous system, lowers the heart rate, reduces cortisol (the stress hormone), and increases theta brainwaves associated with deep relaxation. And when stress hormones decrease, immune cells increase—helping to defend the body from bacteria and viruses.

Field recommends these four simple ways to invite more touch into your daily life and counteract touch deprivation:

Yoga. “Yoga is a form of self-massage,” she says, as pressing limbs into the floor activates pressure receptors and sends calming messages to the brain. The results can mirror those of a traditional massage.

Fast walking. “Fast walking stimulates pressure receptors on the feet,” Field notes. Even walking barefoot around your home engages the skin. Rolling from heel to ball to toe or swinging your legs while seated can awaken those touch-sensitive receptors.

Self-massage. Gently massage your feet and toes with moderate pressure to boost circulation and deliver nutrients to the area. Use long, flowing strokes to caress your arms and legs (with coconut or sesame oil if you like). Massaging your palms taps into powerful trigger points, while positioning a tennis ball between your lower back and a wall and rolling against it mimics a mini back massage.

Exercise. “Simply being in motion helps you feel better,” says Field. “Exercise is a buffer—just like spirituality and meditation.” Any form of movement can awaken the skin and stimulate those beneficial pressure receptors. Lie on the floor and do sit-ups, roll onto your side for leg lifts, stretch, hike, bike—whatever helps you stay active and connected to your body.

Field encourages everyone to enjoy a “daily dose of touch” to support immune health and overall well-being. Just 15 to 20 minutes a day can elevate mood. Whether it’s lathering up with lotion, doing sit-ups, or walking outside—if you’re less stressed, you heal faster. Your body innately knows how to heal. Sometimes, all it needs is a little loving touch.

Robin Fasano is a regular contributor to Natural Awakenings.