Living Without Human Touch in a COVID-19 World
The human need to get physical
Exchanging high fives. A handshake. Hug and a kiss. A shoulder to cry on. Face-to-face conversation. Body language. The scent of one’s cologne. People watching at a cafe.
In the last seven months since stay-at-home and social distancing orders swept the world, these forms of human contact and physical connection have become abruptly absent in our lives. What were once considered to be innocuous ways of connecting with each other have become taboo in the COVID-19 pandemic era.
Today’s societies have been forced to adjust to a new normal in order to prevent deadly outbreaks of coronavirus infections in the community. Studies have shown that social distancing has effectively mitigated coronavirus transmission, potentially averting millions of deaths. As a data analyst, it became clear to me that the enactment and conversely the laxing of COVID-19 response orders have had a significant effect on virus infection trends.
What were once considered to be innocuous ways of connecting with each other have become taboo in the COVID-19 pandemic era.
But what about the effect of the stay-at-home and social distancing mandates on our mental and emotional wellbeing?
Doctors believe that the lack of physical human touch has contributed to a drastic increase in rates of depression and anxiety among the populace. By enforcing these pandemic response efforts, the human psyche is receiving conflicting signals about how to approach simple human interactions. Acts of platonic, physical contact between friends, family, and colleagues, normally seen as expressions love and warmth, are now considered reckless and dangerous behavior, putting us and those we interact with at heightened risk of contracting the deadly virus. For example, when a person finds themselves in a situation to offer an embrace or a lending hand to a friend, they may pause and think twice fearing the potential health consequences.
Physical human contact is not just valuable. It’s essential.
The sudden lack of physical human contact for such a long period of time can potentially have lasting effects on one’s mental wellbeing. Being instructed to stay at home and avoid friends and loved ones can further exacerbate feelings of isolation and sadness. Human actions that were normally associated with joy, warmth, and love are now considered dangerous and harmful due to the risk of spreading the virus. This complication can have a lasting impact on our relationship with the human touch and whether we see it as positive or negative behavior.
Technology and Human Connection
In this digital era of smartphones, social media, and video conferencing, technology advancements have allowed us to communicate and interact with our fellow humans without physically being in the same place. The use of internet applications for human-to-human contact lessens the need for physical contact with each other, allowing for social interaction without the fear of infecting each other with coronavirus. Moreover, during the last few months, it has become apparent that today’s digital technologies have been instrumental in our ability to continue function as a society without physically being with each other.
Zoom meetings, dating apps, and widely used social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have become the replacement for actual physical human interaction. However, while these methods have made it easier for us to stay in contact with each other, they cannot replace many of the benefits that the human touch provides. Their shortfalls have become more apparent as of late, especially as many are becoming weary of the COVID-19 response orders and yearn to be able to freely socialize, visit family members and return to the office.
Evolution of the Human Touch
Humans are extremely social creatures, arguably more so than any other species on the planet. In fact, the way that human civilizations are built are largely in response to a strong need to communicate and interact with each other. From the time we are born until the day we die, we are wired to be intimate with others. Our physical and emotional being craves skin-to-skin contact. As babies, the touch of one’s mother is crucial for building a healthy attachment. Chemically, when a child feels the touch of another, a surge of the pleasure chemical dopamine, the naturally occurring antidepressant serotonin, and oxytocin is seen in the brain.
In addition to providing a sensation of pleasure and stress relief, with the release of oxytocin, the human touch is thought to also invoke feelings of devotion, trust, and bonding. This ultimately allows the child to feel safe, happy, and free to explore the world.
From the time we are born until the day we die, we are wired to be intimate with others.
However, not only is physical human touch vital for mental and emotional health, but it also improves one’s physical well-being. The increase of oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone”, causes a cascade of electrical impulses that calms the heart and lowers blood pressure. As a result, messages are sent to the brain that it is okay to relax leaving one feeling soothed and less anxious. What is remarkable to consider is that this complex set of events occurring in the mind and body are initiated by just a simple human touch.
Starving for the Human Touch
As we live in this post-COVID-19 world that is becoming increasingly technology-focused and socially disconnected, we’re physically touching each other much less and less. The question then arises, “what does the absence of the human touch do to a person?”
Touch starvation, also called skin hunger, occurs when one experiences a lack of physical skin-to-skin contact with other living beings. In a nutshell, this lack of touch over an extended period of time increases levels of stress and anxiety, ultimately triggering a plethora of negative physiological symptoms. In response to this heightened stress, the human body releases cortisol and activates a “flight-or-fight” response. One’s heart rate and blood pressure peaks, respiration increases, and muscles become tense. Additionally, the digestive and immune systems become suppressed, leaving one with a heightened chance of sickness or infection. In many cases, being without regular human contact can have serious and long-lasting effects, including depression, insomnia, and acute stress symptoms.
Conclusion
Since the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic response actions went into effect, did you start feeling disconnected from your friends, family, and other people you regularly interacted with on a daily basis? Have you become overwhelmed with anxiety or experienced deep loneliness because of self-isolation? If you have been struggling, know that you are not alone.
Humans have been very resilient throughout history and will eventually learn to adapt to a new level of intimacy.
While studies have determined that being without regular human touch can have some detrimental effects on a person, any and all opportunities of touch can be beneficial. Many of us might feel snowed under pressure, trying to adjust to a new way of life without the usual human interactions that help relieve stress and allow our immune system to function and keep us healthy.
However, there is hope that over time humans will overcome the stress and anxiety that comes along with social distancing. Humans have been very resilient and history tells us that we will eventually learn to adapt to a new level of intimacy. In this post COVID-19 world, I have faith that people will come to learn a new way of connection with each other and novel ways to experience joy and comfort while continuing to keep each other safe.
Here are a few suggestions to take away that I hope will guide you in taking care of your emotional and physical needs when without access to the human touch:
- Activate your other senses. Do some deep rhythmic breathing, gargling, singing, humming, or laughing. Doing so provides stress relief by telling your brain that it is okay to relax.
- Practice mindfulness. Try out meditation, yoga, and other mindfulness exercises.
- Greet others from a distance (while safely face-masked). Wave “hello” and say “hi” to people who pass by. Social cues like eye contact or smiling at others activates the brain’s social engagement system, providing a relaxing sense of comfort for both parties.
- Get physical with your household. Since you’re already stuck together, strike up some meaningful 1-on-1 conversation with someone you’re isolating with.
- Get a massage. Ask a loved one or seek a professional massage therapist. Massages are a proven way to relieve stress. Plus, both you and the therapist get to enjoy the benefits of each other’s touch.
- Be present when you’re online. Making eye contact and actively listening in video calls establishes a sense of safety and connection with another person.
- Cuddle with your pet. Spend some quality time with your furry friend. Consider adopting a pet if you’ve been thinking about it. More often than not, your pet will be more than happy to reciprocate.
- Lastly, give yourself a hug. Just close your eyes, extend your arms out, and then wrap yourself in your own embrace.
