ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Being touched is a basic human need that plays a role in your overall well-being. When someone goes a while without touch, it can affect their body and mind. Ivanhoe explains what this phenomenon is.
Humans naturally crave touch. If you don’t receive enough positive physical contact, you could become touch-starved.
Jesse Lyon, MS, CCHt, QS, LMHC of Lyon Counseling explains, “Touch-starved can happen when somebody is not getting the type of social connection or interactions that they really need.”
Without regular touch, you can feel lonely, depressed, anxious, irritable, and stressed. That’s because touch prompts the release of oxytocin, which is known as “the love hormone.”
“So, if oxytocin’s going up, cortisol is coming down. If you go too long without having that good feeling, that warm, cuddly emotion, your stress hormones go up,” says Lyons.
Studies have shown that consensual touch can improve mood, relieve pain, boost immunity and lower blood pressure. Scientists have also found that touch activates nerve fibers that light up parts of the brain associated with emotion.
So, how can you help yourself feel better if you’re touch-starved? First — turn your focus on others.
“The answer is not to demand touch, but to say, how can I give to others? Because we know when you help somebody out who’s in need, when you support others in your community or do something good for someone that you didn’t have to, that also gives you that oxytocin boost, too,” explains Lyons.
Other healthy ways to cope: get a pet that you can cuddle with, spend more time with family and friends, try a weighted blanket or schedule a massage. Avoid unhealthy behaviors like doomscrolling, video games, pornography, or substances.
Lyons says, “They can actually just distract from the touch starvation and put a band-aid over it, while below the surface, that touch starvation is actually growing deeper.”
Helping you understand the importance of human touch.
During the COVID pandemic, many people became touch-starved. One online survey found that 68 percent of people said they were experiencing low-to-high levels of touch deprivation.
Contributors to this news report include: Julie Monheim, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor.
Sources:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-01841-8
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/well/mind/touch-starved-skin-hunger.html
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201006-why-touch-matters-more-than-ever-in-the-time-of-covid-19
* For More Information, Contact:
Jesse Lyon MS, CCHt, QS, LMHC
Lyon Counseling, LLC
321-430-5966
