A Sense of Culture: Touch

A New York Times article details scientific evidence that demonstrates the importance of touch as an important means of nonverbal communication, calling it a part of a “universal human vocabulary.” The article states that certain messages are communicated far more quickly and accurately through touch than through words. However, specific ways of using touch to convey a message is almost always culture-specific. For example, a hug is not the universal greeting between friends, nor is a hand-shake the worldwide greeting between people meeting for the first time.

What is interesting about this article is that it looks more closely at the benefit of touch as a recipient and how it impacts behavior. For example, “students who received a supportive touch on the back or arm from a teacher were nearly twice as likely to volunteer in class as those who did not.” In another example, basketball “players who made contact with teammates most consistently and longest tended to rate highest on measures of performance, and the teams with those players seemed to get the most out of their talent.”

Are you conscious of the positive impact certain forms of touch can make?

Click here to jump to the article.

RW-3.com