What role does our sense of touch play in our lives?
According to Johns Hopkins neurobiologist David Linden, it impacts a large range. Our health, relationships, romance, shopping purchases, and even language have all been shaped by our fingertips.
In his new book Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind, Linden explains how these influences are possible and why touch is such a powerful force. We may take it for granted, but Linden points out that we have touch to thank for our survival. Physically, the sense keeps our bodies from injury and harm we otherwise may not prevent. Scientists estimate that without touch, humans would most likely only live to be about twenty-five years old. Socially, it helps us interact and decide friend from enemy. As Linden puts it, appropriate interpersonal touch acts as a "social glue" that brings people together.
Scientific experiments and history have proven the importance of touch over and over again. How do you feel about the subject? Could touch be our most important sense?
Guest:
- David J. Linden, neurobiologist and author of Touch