Touch

by Tiffany Field

Although the therapeutic benefits of touch have become increasingly clear, American society, claims Tiffany Field, is dangerously touch-deprived. Many schools have "no touch" policies; the isolating effects of Internet-driven work and life can leave us hungry for tactile experience. In this book Field explains why we may need a daily dose of touch. The first sensory input in life comes from the sense of touch while a baby is still in the womb, and touch continues to be the primary means of learning about the world throughout infancy and well into childhood. Touch is critical, too, for adults' physical and mental health. Field describes studies showing that touch therapy can benefit everyone, from premature infants to children with asthma to patients with conditions that range from cancer to eating disorders. This second edition of Touch , revised and updated with the latest research, reports on new studies that show the role of touch in early development, in communication (including the reading of others' emotions), in personal relationships, and even in sports. It describes the physiological and biological effects of touch, including areas of the brain affected by touch, and the effects of massage therapy on prematurity, attentiveness, depression, pain, and immune functions. Touch has been shown to have positive effects on growth, brain waves, breathing, and heart rate, and to decrease stress and anxiety. As Field makes clear, we enforce our society's touch taboo at our peril.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

264 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Srishti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touch discusses the importance of 'touch' in the development of humans, and the current lack of it in present education and social scenarios. Although written with the intent to promote touch therapy for expecting mothers and newborns, the information offered here can be useful in a multitude of contexts, as it is a sense common to almost all human beings.

At times, the text tends to get repetitive as the same information is mentioned again and again, and I believe that everything the author had to say could have been said in fewer chapters and around half the word count. Nonetheless, it is an interesting and insightful read.

[Isabella Moffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but some conclusions drawn were not well enough supported. Like the breadth of types of touch covered and would be easy to read if new to the subject.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written from the perspective of a woman who did a lot of work with infants. The majority of the text reflects her experiential and professional knowledge.

I was hoping for more content regarding various kinds of touch( playful, flirtatious, sports, fighting, abuse, tickling, etc.) as well as steps of escalation (such as how play turns into fights, and how fights turn into intimacy). In those areas it was lacking. 4 stars for the breadth of medicinal therapies covered, and overall broad spectrum delivery of information. It would also be easy to read for those unfamiliar with medical terminology. It is written in a very common conversational style.

Short summary: Touching and being touched from infancy on decreases unhappiness, and increases happiness.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting facts here, but it reads like a poorly organized dissertation by someone who's not that great of a writer. Also, facts from studies are presented alongside blatant opinions that are worded as fact, which I didn't really appreciate. However, as the mother of a newborn it is amazing to read about the benefits of touch, and having grown up in a household where we didn't touch all that much, it made me want to bring up my son in a more "hands-on" way!

[Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very easy to read and absorb information from. A lot of the book feels a bit summary-ish/introductory but that's okay since the book isn't very long anyway. The book demonstrates the value of touch with many examples, citations and an occasional opinion thrown in too.

[Becky]

overview of research on massage therapy and physiological response to touch, Touch Therapy Institute

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book. We as westerners have really lost touch with how important touch is. Even with our babies we shove the into plastic buckets so we don't have to carry them.