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Touch Matters: Handshakes, Hugs, and the New Science on How Touch Can Enhance Your Well-Being
An exploration of the new science behind our most underappreciated sense and why we need to harness the power of touch for our health and well-being.
Every day, we use our sense of touch to navigate the world. A handshake, a pat on the shoulder, a hug—all essential touches that make up our daily lives. In Touch Matters, Professor Michael Banissy brings together diverse scientific insights from the world's largest study on touch with takeaways on how to enhance your levels of touch for a happier, healthier life. The book explains why touch is essential to our well-being, the role it plays in our relationships, friendships, in the bedroom, workplace, in team activities such as sports, and much more.
Banissy's latest research "touch personalities"Touch starvationHow touch defines our relationships and self-esteemThe impact of touch on our physical and mental health This is a fascinating window into one of our most important and basic senses and how to harness its power.
FEATURES ORIGINAL RESEARCH FROM "THE TOUCH TEST": Touch Matters is based on one of Banissy's most recent projects—the Touch Test—a science and broadcast collaboration with the BBC and Wellcome Collection. This project explored attitudes and experiences of touch via the world's largest contemporary survey on the topic, public exhibitions, and a series of broadcast programs focused on the topic of touch that received worldwide attention. The project had approximately 40,000 participants from 113 countries.
OFFERS GUIDANCE ON COMMUNICATING AND CONNECTING IN OUR DAILY AND PROFESSIONAL As we return to office work and live in a world where touch has become loaded with meaning, this book will help people understand how important touch is and the role it plays in every aspect of our lives, from relationships and friendships to the workplace and team activities and much more.
Perfect interested in science, psychology, and self-helpFans of James Nestor's Breath, Marc Brackett's Permission to Feel, Bill Bryson's The Body, Mark Miodownik's Stuff MattersAdults and parents of children resuming in-person activities including going back to the office, returning to school, traveling, and socializingThose interested in learning more about the science of touch, touch starvation, and how important touch is to child/human developmentPeople struggling with depression or anxiety around physical contact
Every day, we use our sense of touch to navigate the world. A handshake, a pat on the shoulder, a hug—all essential touches that make up our daily lives. In Touch Matters, Professor Michael Banissy brings together diverse scientific insights from the world's largest study on touch with takeaways on how to enhance your levels of touch for a happier, healthier life. The book explains why touch is essential to our well-being, the role it plays in our relationships, friendships, in the bedroom, workplace, in team activities such as sports, and much more.
Banissy's latest research "touch personalities"Touch starvationHow touch defines our relationships and self-esteemThe impact of touch on our physical and mental health This is a fascinating window into one of our most important and basic senses and how to harness its power.
FEATURES ORIGINAL RESEARCH FROM "THE TOUCH TEST": Touch Matters is based on one of Banissy's most recent projects—the Touch Test—a science and broadcast collaboration with the BBC and Wellcome Collection. This project explored attitudes and experiences of touch via the world's largest contemporary survey on the topic, public exhibitions, and a series of broadcast programs focused on the topic of touch that received worldwide attention. The project had approximately 40,000 participants from 113 countries.
OFFERS GUIDANCE ON COMMUNICATING AND CONNECTING IN OUR DAILY AND PROFESSIONAL As we return to office work and live in a world where touch has become loaded with meaning, this book will help people understand how important touch is and the role it plays in every aspect of our lives, from relationships and friendships to the workplace and team activities and much more.
Perfect interested in science, psychology, and self-helpFans of James Nestor's Breath, Marc Brackett's Permission to Feel, Bill Bryson's The Body, Mark Miodownik's Stuff MattersAdults and parents of children resuming in-person activities including going back to the office, returning to school, traveling, and socializingThose interested in learning more about the science of touch, touch starvation, and how important touch is to child/human developmentPeople struggling with depression or anxiety around physical contact
242 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 25, 2023
16 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 27, 2022
The odds are fairly strong that if you pick up a copy of Michael Banissy's "Touch Matters" that you're exploring your own relationship with touch whether that be positive or negative.
I've always had a mixed relationship with touch and even sought therapy for what I called a "fear" of touch when I was in my early 20s, though the word "fear" was likely too strong. As someone who grew up with a disability and experienced multiple significant physical traumas in childhood, physical contact at least felt like it was largely elusive for much of my childhood and young adult years.
As the years have gone by, my comfort with touch hasn't necessarily changed but my appreciation for it has grown significantly. Thus, I found myself completely intrigued by Banissy's research around touch and the world he creates with "Touch Matters."
I will confess that "Touch Matters" wasn't entirely what I expected. With a strong emphasis on research around a variety of touch issues, "Touch Matters" is very strong when it comes to the "science" of touch while less pursuant of the therapeutic issues that may impact someone's relationship with touch.
Banissy starts with the premise that touch is our most underappreciated sense and yet is essential for our health and well-being. He explores the role of touch in society and then brings in diverse scientific insights developed from the world's largest study on touch (from which the book largely finds its foundation). Banissy offers perspectives on how to enhance one's relationship with touch and offers a clear assumption that this will, in turn, guide one toward a happier, healthier life. The science documented here is remarkable, in-depth, and well resourced. While at times the conclusions feel a tad presumptive, I'm also aware that I presented to this reading with my own biases.
Banissy explores why touch is essential to our well-being, the role touch plays in our relationships (personal and professional and recreational), and explores vital issues such as our "touch personalities," touch starvation, the impact of touch on physical and mental health, and how touch defines our relationships and self-esteem.
I found myself at times wishing that Banissy more fully explored obstacles to touch, such as trauma or disability or even cultural factors, but as someone who has devoted many years to developing a healthier relationship with touch I can say without a doubt that I found "Touch Matters" engaging and informative from beginning to end.
I've always had a mixed relationship with touch and even sought therapy for what I called a "fear" of touch when I was in my early 20s, though the word "fear" was likely too strong. As someone who grew up with a disability and experienced multiple significant physical traumas in childhood, physical contact at least felt like it was largely elusive for much of my childhood and young adult years.
As the years have gone by, my comfort with touch hasn't necessarily changed but my appreciation for it has grown significantly. Thus, I found myself completely intrigued by Banissy's research around touch and the world he creates with "Touch Matters."
I will confess that "Touch Matters" wasn't entirely what I expected. With a strong emphasis on research around a variety of touch issues, "Touch Matters" is very strong when it comes to the "science" of touch while less pursuant of the therapeutic issues that may impact someone's relationship with touch.
Banissy starts with the premise that touch is our most underappreciated sense and yet is essential for our health and well-being. He explores the role of touch in society and then brings in diverse scientific insights developed from the world's largest study on touch (from which the book largely finds its foundation). Banissy offers perspectives on how to enhance one's relationship with touch and offers a clear assumption that this will, in turn, guide one toward a happier, healthier life. The science documented here is remarkable, in-depth, and well resourced. While at times the conclusions feel a tad presumptive, I'm also aware that I presented to this reading with my own biases.
Banissy explores why touch is essential to our well-being, the role touch plays in our relationships (personal and professional and recreational), and explores vital issues such as our "touch personalities," touch starvation, the impact of touch on physical and mental health, and how touch defines our relationships and self-esteem.
I found myself at times wishing that Banissy more fully explored obstacles to touch, such as trauma or disability or even cultural factors, but as someone who has devoted many years to developing a healthier relationship with touch I can say without a doubt that I found "Touch Matters" engaging and informative from beginning to end.
January 9, 2023
Something that I wasn’t sure when I started reading this book was how comfortable or uncomfortable I would be while reading it. I have a very varied history with touch, where in different times of my life, I would be more or less adverse to it.
While I don’t know if all readers who have a similar background as I do with touch will feel the same, I’m grateful the writing was educational enough that it helped me separate myself from what I was reading and it was casual enough to keep me reading.
A part of the early book discusses how this affected babies arguably into adulthood. I don’t know why, but there’s a small part of me that’s sad that some of my health issues might be tied with not being held or touched enough. I’m grateful there have been studies now and opportunities to help premature babies have that exposure to loving touch early on in their lives.
Chapter 3 and how it delved into hugs was another part that made me realise just how hungry I am for that connection. I love hugs. I could go absolutely feral for a good hug. My family and circle here? They aren’t big huggers. If I weren’t so scared of the outside world still, I think I’d be a huge advocate for the return of Free Hugs. I’d be out on the corner daily. Also the fact there have been studies that hugged people are healthier people is absolutely mind blowing.
Going further, learning more about technology and other advancements, reading about the differences in how people perceive touch, and just discovering how one person viewed this journey while writing this was great. Knowing such advancements are so close on the horizon doesn’t feel real, but I know it is.
One of the most important things I want to address about this is how aware the author is of the findings and how he reminds us frequently of the nuance with the topic of touch. He knows studies aren’t perfect, he addresses ethical issues, he acknowledges the gaps in data. And while I wish there could have been more time to delve into different cultures and groups of people, I still learned a lot.
Thank you again to NetGalley and Michael Banissy for the opportunity to read this book. I look forward to seeing it out in the wild and hope people take the time to at least skim through this read.
While I don’t know if all readers who have a similar background as I do with touch will feel the same, I’m grateful the writing was educational enough that it helped me separate myself from what I was reading and it was casual enough to keep me reading.
A part of the early book discusses how this affected babies arguably into adulthood. I don’t know why, but there’s a small part of me that’s sad that some of my health issues might be tied with not being held or touched enough. I’m grateful there have been studies now and opportunities to help premature babies have that exposure to loving touch early on in their lives.
Chapter 3 and how it delved into hugs was another part that made me realise just how hungry I am for that connection. I love hugs. I could go absolutely feral for a good hug. My family and circle here? They aren’t big huggers. If I weren’t so scared of the outside world still, I think I’d be a huge advocate for the return of Free Hugs. I’d be out on the corner daily. Also the fact there have been studies that hugged people are healthier people is absolutely mind blowing.
Going further, learning more about technology and other advancements, reading about the differences in how people perceive touch, and just discovering how one person viewed this journey while writing this was great. Knowing such advancements are so close on the horizon doesn’t feel real, but I know it is.
One of the most important things I want to address about this is how aware the author is of the findings and how he reminds us frequently of the nuance with the topic of touch. He knows studies aren’t perfect, he addresses ethical issues, he acknowledges the gaps in data. And while I wish there could have been more time to delve into different cultures and groups of people, I still learned a lot.
Thank you again to NetGalley and Michael Banissy for the opportunity to read this book. I look forward to seeing it out in the wild and hope people take the time to at least skim through this read.
November 8, 2023
The ten chapters focus gives us something to think about what we have known in our lives and in our body. And we find out that we don’t think about touch unless it is done in a difficult (or very good) moment (or many moments at very good time.) Author Michael Banissy takes some time in the book to begin to understand the connections of touch and COVID-9.
The topics go through a number of new ideas about our bodies. The first chapter tells us “The Development Touch,” with some information about the connection between humans and humans. And, humans learn about how to “reflect, ask, learn, go slow, and educate.”
In chapter 2, we are told that the largest organ is …… our skin. The skin is where the body touches all things in our lives. It’s not the only way to see and feel a person, but the skin is the most powerful. And there’ some material about kissing. And the book has a strong statement about the touch of our bodies and COVID.
The short 200+ pages are interesting. There is a small problem in that there are not many connections among the 7 chapters. While the book gives us some new information, it’s not “…and the New Science.” It will be a good book to those who are in (or wanting) to be in the science of the human body.
The topics go through a number of new ideas about our bodies. The first chapter tells us “The Development Touch,” with some information about the connection between humans and humans. And, humans learn about how to “reflect, ask, learn, go slow, and educate.”
In chapter 2, we are told that the largest organ is …… our skin. The skin is where the body touches all things in our lives. It’s not the only way to see and feel a person, but the skin is the most powerful. And there’ some material about kissing. And the book has a strong statement about the touch of our bodies and COVID.
The short 200+ pages are interesting. There is a small problem in that there are not many connections among the 7 chapters. While the book gives us some new information, it’s not “…and the New Science.” It will be a good book to those who are in (or wanting) to be in the science of the human body.
August 31, 2023
As a licensed massage therapist, I feel that the science in this book about touch and every aspect of a person's life is an important topic. I think the sense of touch is definitely the most under-valued and unappreciated. I have dedfinitely seen in my career the benefits of touch and therapetic massage on the geriatric population. The elderly living alone in a hospice or similar domicle often lack compassionate caring touch and touch really helps them.
I liked the various anecdotes throughout the book how touch benefits every aspect of life: professional, emotional, relationships, etc. The author obviously did his research.
For all the benefits in this book about positive touch, I am surprised there wasn't a chapter on companion animals benefitting from touch; plus how that animal-human bond is very much controlled through touch and trust. I thought the book could have added this extra layer to reach a higher review from me.
Overall, I still think was a scientific approach to the benefits of touch for people. Well-written and reseacrched.
Thanks to Netgalley, Michael Banissy and Chronicle Books Prism for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Already available.
I liked the various anecdotes throughout the book how touch benefits every aspect of life: professional, emotional, relationships, etc. The author obviously did his research.
For all the benefits in this book about positive touch, I am surprised there wasn't a chapter on companion animals benefitting from touch; plus how that animal-human bond is very much controlled through touch and trust. I thought the book could have added this extra layer to reach a higher review from me.
Overall, I still think was a scientific approach to the benefits of touch for people. Well-written and reseacrched.
Thanks to Netgalley, Michael Banissy and Chronicle Books Prism for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Already available.
January 8, 2023
The connection between the physical realm and our mental states and health is fascinating. This book delves into science of touch and how that effects us. I was most aware when preparing for having a newborn and learning about skin to skin contact, etc., and how important touch is to basic human well-being. This book goes into the different kinds of skin and how touch is optimized for human likeability ("affective touch" response), mentions the Romanian orphanage touch-starved babies and the negative effects of their touch-depravation, how not enough or the right kind of touch ("affection hunger") can create negative outcomes in adults, and explores some analysis of benefits and perils of touch in the workplace, and more.
Structure-wise, it is broken into 4 parts, 10 chapters, and the end of each chapter has a summary of the main points. If you are looking for understandable to the lay-person, yet science-based research on touch, this would be a good choice.
*This review was written in connection with receiving a review copy from NetGalley.*
Structure-wise, it is broken into 4 parts, 10 chapters, and the end of each chapter has a summary of the main points. If you are looking for understandable to the lay-person, yet science-based research on touch, this would be a good choice.
*This review was written in connection with receiving a review copy from NetGalley.*
March 10, 2024
You know you’re reading a good book when it makes you consider your own behavior in a new light. “Touch Matters” is such a book.
Being human means being tactile, and touching is an important part of our lives. It can help us stay healthy and stay connected. And it can spread germs and make us feel threatened.
Touch must be appropriate and consensual. And as we grow as a society, it may mean re-learning what is appropriate.
Reading this while traveling alone on a trip heightened those feelings. And made me think.
Being human means being tactile, and touching is an important part of our lives. It can help us stay healthy and stay connected. And it can spread germs and make us feel threatened.
Touch must be appropriate and consensual. And as we grow as a society, it may mean re-learning what is appropriate.
Reading this while traveling alone on a trip heightened those feelings. And made me think.
June 24, 2023
This book was full of information. I found it fascinating to learn about the physiological responses to touch and how we were made to sense touch and the impact its presence or absence plays in our lives. I did find the first part of the book more interesting and keeping my attention more than the last part.
I received a dARC from the publisher via Netgalley; this is my honest review.
I received a dARC from the publisher via Netgalley; this is my honest review.
July 24, 2023
Good overall discussion of touch around the world, especially impacted by COVID but beyond that as well.
Could have rated it higher but was looking for more specific guidance that I found lacking. That’s on me, but these are MY ratings. I’ve read a couple of books now on touching. Guess there is only so much which can be said.
Could have rated it higher but was looking for more specific guidance that I found lacking. That’s on me, but these are MY ratings. I’ve read a couple of books now on touching. Guess there is only so much which can be said.
January 6, 2024
Banissy does a fabulous job of exploring the importance of touch in our everyday lives. While we may understand, intuitively, that touch generally feels positive, there are obviously complications and complexities that arise when touch is unwelcome, or, worse still, predatory. Loved this book and highly recommended.
May 18, 2023
I absolutely LOVED this book. I genuinely gained so much knowledge and even some of my perspectives switched, every aspect of different types of touches, their background and results were explained perfectly!
May 13, 2024
An interesting quick read, especially in post-pandemic times. It’s a good reminder that we need to reach out to each other, even in a digital/remote world.
March 24, 2025
Very important issues being openly discussed is a good start. Touch affects each one of us and is terribly overlooked sometimes. Very good book
February 28, 2025
Amazing the impact of touch. If you are interested in understanding better the impact of touch, this is a good book.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews