Touch is the first of our senses to develop, beginning around eight weeks into pregnancy, and it remains one of the earliest ways we learn about safety, comfort and connection.
Knowing a little of the science helps you choose the textures, materials and kinds of touch that make everyday life more comfortable.
How We Sense Touch
Skin contains several types of receptors that detect pressure, texture, temperature and vibration. Their signals travel to the brain, which processes touch in regions that also handle emotion and social connection, which helps explain why pleasant touch can feel calming and comforting.
Skin also contains specialized nerve fibres, called C-tactile afferents, that respond most strongly to slow, gentle stroking at around skin temperature, and their activity closely tracks how pleasant touch feels.
Studies of massage have found that a single session can lower heart rate, blood pressure and short-term anxiety, all signs of the body shifting toward a more relaxed state.
Texture and Comfort
Texture matters: in laboratory studies, people consistently rate soft materials such as velvet and cotton as more pleasant than rough ones, and slow movement as more pleasant than fast.
Many people also enjoy the coolness, weight and variation of natural materials such as wood and stone, though texture preferences are highly individual.
Touch and Wellbeing
A 2024 review of more than 130 studies found that touch interventions such as massage and hugging reduced pain, anxiety and depressive symptoms, with the largest benefits for people already living with health conditions. The same review found that touch from another person helped more than self-touch or touch from objects, though those still had some benefit.
Self-massage with a good oil or lotion combines gentle touch with unhurried time for yourself, and many people find it a simple way to relax and unwind.
Weighted blankets apply gentle, even pressure. Reviews suggest a small benefit for anxiety, particularly among people with anxiety-related conditions, and some people find them helpful for settling at night. They are not suitable for babies or young children.
“The skin is no more separated from the brain than the surface of a lake is separate from its depths.” — Deane Juhan
Touch in Relationships
Affectionate touch has been linked to oxytocin, a hormone involved in bonding. In one study, couples who practised more warm touch over four weeks showed higher oxytocin levels and lower markers of stress than those who did not. Everyday non-sexual touch, such as holding hands or an embrace, is part of how many couples stay close.
Attentive, unhurried touch tends to feel very different from distracted contact, and paying attention to how touch is received is useful both on your own and with a partner. Preferences vary, so ask and listen.
Fabrics Against the Skin
Bedding and clothing are in contact with your skin for hours, so their feel matters. Silk’s smooth, low-friction surface feels light against the skin, which many people find adds to a sense of comfort and luxury.
Choosing fabrics you enjoy wearing is a small, daily way to make your body more comfortable.
A More Tactile Home
Layer a few textures you enjoy: smooth sheets, a soft throw, a wooden surface, a cool stone, giving you options for different moods and seasons.
Put quality where touch is most frequent: bedding, towels, the clothes you wear most and the chair you sit in every evening.
Notice which textures and kinds of touch you enjoy, and make room for more of them.
