The United States has a touch-averse culture, a culture that values independence and personal space. On average, Americans only experience physical contact twice a day, often an occasional handshake or hug (Goldsmith, 2021). Platonic touch is much more frequent in other cultures, such as those in Latin America, Spain, and the Philippines (Dunung, 2020).

Cultures where platonic touch isn’t as culturally accepted miss out on the many benefits it has to offer. Research has shown that even hand-holding can reduce blood pressure, which is a major contributor to heart disease, the main cause of death in the United States (Leavitt, 2022; World Health Organization: WHO, 2021). Platonic physical touch can also decrease cortisol levels, improve immunity, decrease emotional reactivity, and decrease feelings of loneliness (Leavitt, 2022; Tejada et al., 2020).

Maybe it feels uncomfortable to ask friends and acquaintances about increasing the amount of physical contact between you or maybe there aren’t people in your social circle who enjoy physical contact much. Either way, Platonic Touch Sessions, LLC is here to help.

References:

Dunung, S. (2020). Global Business Management: Vol. 1.1. FlatWorld.

Goldsmith, B., PhD. (2021, September 15). To live a life in which you are deprived of touch can be very painful. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotional-fitness/202109/most-of-us-are-touch-starved

Leavitt, C. E., JD PhD. (2022, July 15). Reducing reactivity and fostering warmth and connection. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sexual-mindfulness/202207/why-non-sexual-touch-is-so-essential

Tejada, A. H., Dunbar, R. I. M., & Montero, M. (2020). Physical contact and loneliness: Being touched reduces perceptions of loneliness. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 6(3), 292–306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-020-00138-0

World Health Organization: WHO. (2021). Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)