Why is physical contact important for our health?

**SPEAKER_1** (0:01)
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**Bababam** (0:34)
Why is physical contact important for our health?
Thanks for asking.
When it comes to expressions about skin, the English language is not lacking. For example, we can be thick or thin skinned, or have someone under our skin. To show indifference, we say, it's no skin off our noses. And when we get excited, we jump out of our skin. The sheer number of different idioms reflects the deep links our skin has with our brains. Sometimes these links are visible and give away our feelings. When we blush, go pale, or get goose bumps. The same can be said for stress too, in the case of some skin conditions, like eczema or psoriasis.
Does it work the opposite way around too, with the skin sending information to the brain? It sure does. Holding hands, shaking hands, or hugging a loved one calms us down precisely because our skin is made up of nerve endings which are connected to the brain. There are 600,000 of these sensory captors in total. They detect vibrations, pressure, and other sensations. It's fair to say we are, by nature, tactile beings. Moreover, our skin is the heaviest organ in the body. It weighs around 11 pounds in total and is made up of three layers. Starting from the inside, first you've got the hypodermis, which stores energy reserves like the vitamin D we get from the sun. Then there's the dermis, the thickest layer, which produces the cells and proteins we need for skin renewal. And finally, the epidermis, the visible layer of skin, which acts as a protective barrier and causes us to feel temperature, for example. Among these numerous essential functions, the skin also regulates our body temperature, in particular through sweating. How does touch affect health then? There are a number of virtues of what some experts call social touch or effective touch. Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on people's mental health, and the lack of social touch may be partly behind it. It releases endorphins and therefore reduces pain. It also reduces blood pressure by bringing cortisol and stress levels down. It releases pleasure hormone dopamine and so-called love hormone oxytocin. These are just a few of the health benefits we can get. Studies have also shown that physical touch helps animals' brains to develop, and it's believed the same goes for human beings.
So in the future, remember how powerful the impact of touch can be on your body, and try to introduce more of it into your life. Of course, remembering that consent is key, and that you need to respect other people's privacy spheres.
There you have it.
Now you know why physical contact is important for our health. In under three minutes, we answer your questions, and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. Listen along, and you will really know it for sure.

**SPEAKER_1** (3:42)
Bababam.