Years ago when I was writing about the power of touch I came across research that blew my mind. The first was an experiment with baby chimps who’d rather cling to a fake soft cuddly mother chimp (because it felt like they were being touched) than feed. Touch was more important than food.
The second experiment showed if you touched someone, even fleetingly, they’d be more honest when asked about taking coins from a phone box.
And in a new experiment, scientists at Nottingham Trent University have shown how touch calms feelings of distress by changing brain activity.
