Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin by Montagu, Ashley (1971) Hardcover

by Ashley Montagu

1st

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Parenting, Anthropology, Health, Sociology

512 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Books, such as The Natural Superiority of Women (1953), of Ashley Montagu, originally Israel Ehrenberg, a British-American, helped to popularize anthropology.

As a young man, he changed his name to "Montague Francis Ashley-Montagu". After relocating to the United States, he used the name "Ashley Montagu."

This humanist of Jewish ancestry related topics, such as race and gender, to politics and development. He served as the rapporteur or appointed investigator in 1950 for the The Race Question , statement of educational, scientific, and cultural organization of United Nations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_...

Reviews

[Ron Wroblewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read - the need for people to touch each other. And what happens when they don't.
I met Ashley Montagu when he was in his 90s. Someone asked him if he had any regrets about his life. He said yes, "the books I didn't buy". He had a library of 5000 books.

[Honorah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book that covers the skin as sensory organ. Highly recommended for parents and anyone working with children, particularly those with any type of sensory disorder. I really wish there was a newer edition of this that integrated more research on autism, as this has some tantalizing information that he didn't have enough details on to go into in depth because there was so little research available at the time.

One WARNING: an early part of the book deals with the Harlow maternal deprivation experiments on monkeys. I suspect lot of people put it down at this point because it is really distressing reading. This information is referred back to in some later sections, but you CAN skip it without being completely lost. It will affect your ability to understand some of the more complex concepts later in the book, but you can still get the majority of it if you skip this section. don't let it stop you from reading the rest of the book. It's fabulous, but that first section can be a tough read.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although dated, this book is still pertinent. Easy to read, a subject that many a layman might not usually be exposed to, made accessible and applicable.
Research based, comprised of old studies, many of which still stand up today and some speculative psychology that one make take or leave. It is easy to marginalize the contents divulged in this book due to its antiquated status and an assumption that its contents are somehow common or collective knowledge. i wonder, if so, why do we not practice better care? For many this book may open doors to sense and connection and this is the prime reason I quite like it.

[Shila Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely needed to read this for my personal benefit. I’d like to be able to touch more and be touched - in a therapeutic way. I now see how much it was a part of humanity before the advent of technology, crime, war, etc. I’d like to revisit some of the ways of our ancestors before the world became hyper-sexualized. We collectively understood the importance of such things as closeness and tactile/cutaneous stimulation. I see how not having enough touch has affected my life, from childhood to adulthood. I seek to correct this imbalance in myself.

I will let my guard down and relax and lean into this type of healing. 😅 I will offer even more of my touch to people I love who I know need it and I will allow myself to be touched. I definitely have people around me who yearn to be touched, both older and young. I can see and feel that it is needed. It has been repressed in the American culture. Yet, touch communicates Love, Care, and a Deep desire to help. We all need it. It is even more necessary than sex-

“It should be noted that sex is not a basic physical need. Only a certain number of organisms need to satisfy sexual tensions if the species is to survive.”

I totally get that. It’s not a comparison or replacement for sex- touch is a human need of it’s own.

The lack of touch has created some monsters… or the monsters created a world where touch is a taboo.

This book is long, and many of the concepts are repeated throughout, but the repetition is necessary for full comprehension. There is a lot of research and cited sources as well as some healthy conjecture. I dig this author. He wrote this for me. 😊 He wrote it for you too.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this for some psychology or communication class at BYU-Idaho which was then called Ricks College. I fell in love with the book. The research, the ideas this book presents. The concepts it taught forever ingrained themselves in my heart. I breastfeed because of this book. Everyone in my family gets a massage at least once a week because of this book. I know there are so many other ways I could be using touch to connect and show love - I'm sure that rereading this book would remind me of them. If you have someone in your family who's love language is touch, or even if you don't because all of us connect through touch on some level, this is a perfect book to read on the subject. A perfect book to read during February where we are once again trying to books how much our families and friends know that we love them.

[t.s. esque · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I was expecting this book to be good, having familiarity with Ashley Montagu from The Cultured Man & The Prevalence of Nonsense; but I wasn't expecting this to be one of the most rewarding reads I've ever had. It's fair to say this book has some outdated forays into questionable studies / speculations at least sparsely here & there, but I would argue that the majority of this text has adequate foresight / stood the test of time (if read critically) & otherwise been reinforced in studies of biology, psychology, and neuroscience over the years since (Gabor Maté's body of work concerning the "mind-body connection", for example), and at least from the laypersons' perspective seems mostly valid. The description of this book on GoodReads does not do justice to the full scope of the topics and minutiae covered within it. Montagu is a master of gathering miscellaneous information and weaving a coherent web that moves from one area of study to the next. There is indeed a major focus on childrearing and the psychology around early parenthood, but that accounts for roughly half of this book, not the entirety of it. The other half of the book is an exciting potpourri of information regarding all aspects of tactile experience and it's affect on living organisms.

{Review in reference to the Third Edition only.}

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected something a little different than what the book was about yet there is an enduring quality since this is at least the third edition of the book.

It reinforces the need for connection through touch. Using research and studies as well as the science that continues to be learned around our skin, sensation, and touching.

Maybe it was my mindset, but I think I came out of the book feeling awful for my (likely) lack of touch with my own kids which started from their birth. Seriously. It just kept hammering home what science has learned and made me feel bad. So there’s that.

The science is spectacular for sure and as it says, is the largest organ so we need to know as much as we can.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just remembered this excellent book from my early adulthood. Many decades later, it is still with me. Highly recommended.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mind of the skin! That sentence alone intrigues me. And what about that phrase "body English"? And then there's this teasing statement, "Since the various senses are really skin receptors of different sorts, the eyes and ears and nose and certainly the tongue, at first "feel" rather than see, hear, smell, and taste." That is a new perspective for me. Montagu goes on to talk about "the tactile quality of vision", which is something I never thought about in my life! Wow. The skin. Vastly under-rated and overlooked, yet vital to our survival, not just as a covering for our other organs, but in the sense that our need for touch is so compelling a hunger that both animals and humans die for lack of it.

This book is out-dated in many ways, and some of Montagu's statements seem naive in light of recent scientific developments - however, this subject is incredibly fascinating, and gave me a new appreciation for my own skin, and furthered my understanding of the power of touch. Anyone interested in the influence touch has on a life will get something out of this book.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

We neglect our sense of touch in American society today. This book explains why it's important and touch as a form of healing. They back up their assertions with scientific examples. I recommend this book only for the reason that it raised my awareness of this fact.

What I don't necessarily agree with are the chapters which draw correlations between certain crimes and lack of touch in early childhood experiences and the Freudian concepts. I think it was written in the 70s when Freud was trendy, and some of these ideas don't hold credence anymore, and sound more like speculation than science. Although, I do agree with the general idea that if everyone was loved unconditionally as a child, there would be less violence in the world.

[Giancarlo Lima · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed insight into what is very often (sadly) not perceived as essential: the human touch. Every time I open the book on a random page I read a passage that makes me think about human interactions and it stays with me for a long time. Accessible language that makes the reading flow, I didn't finish it yet only because I want to really take the time to appreciate the book.

[H.B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dated, hence only 4 stars, but the basic premise still holds. Found it on a street corner in 2007. Never forgot it.

[Corey Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hug your friends

[Good Citizen]

Amazing insight into the importance of being touched. Must read.

[Amanda C · Rating 4 out of 5]

While much of the research in this book is dated and only uses heteronormative relationship language, the early chapters contain a profound amount of insight on just how influential the skin is in human development from conception through adulthood. Quite a bit of information I haven’t come across in other places-specifically around newborns, nursing and parental interaction with children based on gender and how contact through touch impacts the person as a whole. Would love to see a version containing updated studies from the 2000’s.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books. Crucial read. Not a single one of us knows how truly vital touch and touching are to our physical and emotional well being. This books can help us understand. We all need to hug more!!

“The importance of tactile experience, especially in the pre-verbal stages of human development, cannot, in fact, be overemphasized, and it is the burden of this book to convey that message.”

[Judie Mcmath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a groundbreaking book in its day. The importance of human touch cannot be underestimated. It’s important for infants, and for adults as well. It creates bonding, intimacy, and much more. Discusses the physiological processes that occur when our skin is touched.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read about 100 pages of this book and was enjoying it for a while, but then I set it down and didn't have the excitement to return to it - that was a few weeks ago. May as well mark it as DNF for no other reason than it's okay but easy enough to ignore.

[John Nieman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains invaluable information that provides deep insight into the problematic child rearing practices espoused by the medical “experts”. But it seems to me that there was no editor. I read the 3rd Edition, paperback, (1986, Harper & Row) but am unable to locate it in Goodreads.

[rdrg_2426 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Se aprenden cosas pero es demasiado repetitivo. Peca de querer ser super científico mientras escasea de demostraciones científicas que corroboren sus opiniones/hipótesis.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

[Valerie R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed, and most interesting! I read it as a first-time mother and what I learned, I still draw upon over 30 years later. Timeless!

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book as part of my Montessori training. It's an interesting read; really just a collection and review of previous studies with a lot of the author's opinion and interpretation thrown in. The author presents the skin as human's most important organ, and touching as the most important way that humans interact with each other.

It's good for browsing, too. The chapters are all pretty independant, and I can sit down and take 5 minutes to read something interesting.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of me feels this should be sent home with every new parent, but the rest of me realizes that not many of them would actually read it. I wouldn't label it as an 'easy read' by any stretch of the imagination--part of the reason why it's still 'currently reading' is because it requires my concentration. Every word is loaded. But it is SO fascinating!

I highly recommend it to ANYBODY that is interested in infants, children, development, family relations, the demise of society, etc.

[Sharen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this 1974 book for the longest time and I'm so glad that a friend reminded me of it. It will forever change the way you view skin and will reaffirm the statement that a baby/infant can never be held enough. A must read for expectant parents or anyone interested in the importance of human touch and how it helps to form the adults we become.

[Jonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember seeing Ashley Montagu talk about this book way back when Phil Donahue had a talk show. I had just had my baby girl, so touching was a big thing for me. I am a very touchy-feelie kind of person and I was glad to be reinforced in this book that this is a good thing. :)

[Karthi Mohan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get the feeling this book has touched quite a few practitioners and parents around the time it was published. Neuroscience has advanced a whole lot since the 70s and so the content here is pretty outdated. There are many nice quotes and anecdotes though.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mainly a collection of studies over the years on the effects of touching in infants and how tactile exposure is a basic need of humans. Felt a wee bit dated.

[Caths Babyclasses · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fascinating! Really interested to read.

[Chris Nickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

n amazing primer on the significance of human touch and how it can be used.