Touch

by Tiffany Field

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, well into childhood. Touch is critical for children's growth, development, and health, as well as for adults' physical and mental well-being. Yet American society, claims Tiffany Field, is dangerously touch-deprived. Field, a leading authority on touch and touch therapy, begins this accessible book with an overview of the sociology and anthropology of touching and the basic psychophysical properties of touch. She then reports recent research results on the value of touch therapies, such as massage therapy, for various conditions, including asthma, cancer, autism, and eating disorders. She emphasizes the need for a change in societal attitudes toward touching, particularly among those who work with children.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

200 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.