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The Healing
Power of Touch
What five peer-reviewed studies reveal about why touch matters
Touch is one of our most fundamental needs. From the moment we are born, physical contact shapes our brain development, emotional resilience, and lifelong wellbeing. Modern neuroscience is now revealing precisely why — and the findings are remarkable.
longing for more touch
lower the stress hormone
heart rate variability
Calms the Stress Response
A randomized controlled trial found that both receiving a hug and even placing your own hand on your heart significantly reduced cortisol — the body’s primary stress hormone — after a psychosocial stressor. Touch communicates safety, triggering a cascade that quiets the fight-or-flight system.
Dreisoerner et al. · Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2021Releases Oxytocin & Endorphins
Affective touch activates pathways in the amygdala that trigger the release of oxytocin — the “bonding hormone” — along with endogenous opioids. These neurochemicals create feelings of trust, connection, and natural pain relief, explaining why comforting touch feels deeply soothing.
Gothard & Fuglevand · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 2021Strengthens Heart Coherence
Gentle, slow-velocity touch — the kind that activates specialised C-tactile nerve fibres in the skin — has been shown to increase heart rate variability (HRV), a key marker of parasympathetic (“rest-and-digest”) nervous system activity and cardiovascular resilience.
Triscoli et al. · Biological Psychology, 2017Regulates Emotions
Touch serves as a powerful form of emotion regulation across the lifespan. Research shows it helps reappraise negative experiences, reduces emotional distress, and even helps infants approach rather than avoid fearful stimuli — building confidence and emotional resilience from the earliest days of life.
Ugurlu & Keltner · Frontiers in Psychology, 2025Self-Touch Also Heals
When touch from others isn’t available, self-soothing gestures — such as placing a hand on the chest — can still buffer physiological stress. Research shows self-touch reduced cortisol at levels comparable to receiving a hug, making it a simple yet powerful tool anyone can use.
Dreisoerner et al. · Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2021Reduces Vigilance, Deepens Calm
During affective touch, the amygdala shifts from its alert monitoring state into a sustained, decoupled mode — neurons stop responding to each individual stimulus and instead signal deep calm. This vagal-mediated state of low vigilance is the neurological signature of feeling truly safe.
Gothard & Fuglevand · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 2021References
- Beßler, R., Bendas, J., Sailer, U., & Croy, I. (2020). The “Longing for Interpersonal Touch Picture Questionnaire”: Development of a new measurement for touch perception. International Journal of Psychology, 55(3), 446–455. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31452194
- Ugurlu, O. & Keltner, D. (2025). Touch as emotion regulation. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1418374. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1418374
- Gothard, K. M. & Fuglevand, A. J. (2021). The role of the amygdala in processing social and affective touch. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 43, 46–53. gothardlab.org
- Triscoli, C., Croy, I., Steudte-Schmiedgen, S., Olausson, H., & Sailer, U. (2017). Heart rate variability is enhanced by long-lasting pleasant touch at CT-optimized velocity. Biological Psychology, 128, 71–81. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28723347
- Dreisoerner, A., Junker, N. M., Schlotz, W., Heimrich, J., Bloemeke, S., Ditzen, B., & van Dick, R. (2021). Self-soothing touch and being hugged reduce cortisol responses to stress. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 8, 100091. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PMC9216399
