What Are Caresses For?

Numerous studies have highlighted the power of touch and its importance in human development and its psychological implications. In 1997, Mary Carslon and her husband, Felton Earls, published the results of a study that revealed the developmental implications of the lack of physical contact to which Romanian children growing up in orphanages were exposed: social withdrawal, lack of expressions social problems, lack of speech, and high levels of cortisol (known as the stress hormone).

Among some of the psychological consequences of the recent COVID-19 crisis, a condition called “skin hunger” has been described, which refers to the neurological manifestations in our body derived from the lack of touch due to absence of physical contact during the pandemic, an intrinsic and natural need of all human beings.

Physical contact, manifested through hugs, caresses or friction, is essential for our development and socialization. In this article we will focus on the functions of caresses; its neural bases and its role in the field of health and social ties.

How do petting work?

Touch is the first of the senses that we develop when we are babies, and although perhaps if we were made to choose it would be the first one we would give up, from an emotional point of view it remains the most important throughout our lives. However, until not long ago, very little was known about how the sensory system worked.

The skin’s sensory system is unique, as it gives rise to different sensations, such as pain, itching, heat, vibrations, light pressure and gentle touches. Until a few years ago, we did not know how this system worked. A study carried out by Columbia University discovered that Merkel cells are the receptors for “gentle” touch.

Merkel cells are responsible for fine motor skills; without them we would not be able to send an email or tie our shoes. They also help us detect the textures of objects, as well as light hand pressure or a gentle caress.

But because Merkel cells are skin cells, not neurons, it was unclear how they could communicate with the nervous system. Thanks an experiment with mice norepinephrine was identified as the neurotransmitter responsible for transmitting the message; The neurons capture neurotransmitters with beta-adrenergic receptors, which causes the neurons to send electrical signals to the brain and thus we can notice touch.

If we think about it, touch is capable of detecting very small variations in the environment, we can know if a material is hot, cold, or warm. Apparently, some receptors would be specific to stroking, the C-tactile receptors. And by activating a specific part of the brain, a different sensation is created.

As we see, although we are closer to understanding how the sensory system works, we are still far from knowing the complete path that caresses follow, It is still unknown how pleasurable touch information is encoded and transmitted

The importance of caresses in human beings.

But although we do not understand the underlying mechanisms, what science has been able to demonstrate are the consequences of petting deprivation on development and social behavior. Highlighting its importance for human beings.

Strokes are necessary for development

Merkel cells may also play a relevant role in our cognitive development Some studies have shown that newborns who are deprived of touch may have cognitive deficits that persist into adulthood. By not transmitting information during the first years of life to the limbic system, responsible for the emotional response, and by not correctly stimulating the brain during the first years of life, it will not develop in a healthy way.

The sensors begin to transmit information from the mother’s womb, therefore, a malfunction of the system during the development of neurons can significantly affect what we know as the social brain, which refers to the capacity that human beings have. to relate to other people.

Furthermore, this malfunction also affects the development of our sense of self and independence, our sense of knowing who we are and what makes us different from others. This condition is typical of people with autism spectrum disorders. People with autism spectrum disorders have a deficiency in processing information that comes from emotional touch

Babies do not have spoken language, caressing also plays a role as a form of primary communication and provides peace of mind and well-being during the first months of life.

Cuddling and its relationship with stress

Apparently there is a type of excitatory neurons that would be involved in the sensation of pleasure we feel when caressing or being caressed by other people. A study carried out at the University of Washington investigated the role of these neurons in suppress the expression of one of its receptors, specifically the prokinectin receptor 2 (PROKR2)

The results showed that mice whose expression of prokinectin receptor 2 had been genetically amputed did not feel pleasure and did not respond to gentle stroking. However, these mice did feel other sensations related to touch, such as itching and pain.

In addition to not feeling pleasure, mice without the receptor showed poor stress responses and asocial behaviors.

Caresses allow us to express emotions

Researchers from the University of Berkeley, California, demonstrated that different sensations can be transmitted and recognized through touch, highlighting its importance within social interactions.

To demonstrate their hypothesis, they did an experimental test where one subject caressed and another was caressed on the arm, the friction only lasting a second. Through caressing, the person in charge of touching had to try to transmit an emotion, within a wide range, it could be compassion, fear, anger, love, gratitude, etc. The person receiving the caress had to try to guess which emotion from the list they had been trying to convey

The results were quite surprising, since many subjects thought that they would not be able to recognize emotions through touch. However, more than 60% of the participants were able to discern when they had been caressed compassionately and more than half guessed when the rest of the emotions were being communicated: love, fear, anger or gratitude. Therefore, the study established that through touch emotions can be transmitted in a much more effective way than we believe.

Caresses strengthen bonds and community

A 2015 study questioned its participants about the perceived sensation of caressing other people’s skin, which revealed that people always think and feel others’ skin as softer, regardless of reality.

He also demonstrated that caressing helps strengthen social bonds between people, since the more pleasure is perceived when being touched, the greater the affinity and affection felt for the person who is caressing.

This kind of sensory falsehood, in which we suppose the skin of the other, softer and warmer than it is, is common to all human beings and could be explained as a mechanism that promotes the relationship between human beings and involves the creation of bonds of empathy and care between people, having as immediate consequences a feeling of well-being and security, to, in the long run, strengthen unity and community.

• You may be interested: “What is Social Psychology?”

Strokes create a positive image of ourselves

Affective caresses are normally slow movements (between 1 cm and 10 cm per second) that occur between very close people (mothers and children, partners or closest friends). These movements help with proprioception, which is the property that allows us to know at a precise moment where each part of our body is, but also with interoception, which are the signals that allow us to know our internal state.

This ability of stroking was demonstrated thanks to the rubber hand experiment, where a person was able to detect the stimulation they received in a hand that was holding a rubber hand on top. This result revealed the ability of caresses to build an image that relates the psychological self and the corporeal self producing a positive image of both, since the basis of caresses is affection and acceptance by others.

Strokes help the immune system

Caresses not only have benefits on psychological health, numerous studies have shown the importance of touch: to help the immune system fight pain or help overcome certain diseases, it would also affect sleep, improving it and reducing blood pressure.

A 2020 study, conducted by the American Psychiatric Association, showed the relationship between cuddling and oxytocin Oxytocin is also known as the love hormone, which is released, among other times, massively during childbirth, and is closely related to loving behaviors between parents and children and between friends and partners. A group of researchers has recently revealed that this hormone would also be released when looking at our dogs or cats, enhancing bonding with them.

• You may be interested: “What is oxytocin and what functions does this hormone perform?”

Other benefits of caressing

Apart from the benefits already mentioned, caresses would also play a role in other processes, including:

• Improved lung function
• Reduce the stress of childbirth in newborns
• Control of blood pressure and cardiovascular problems