It is clear that physical contact such as hugs can ease pain and depression, and even inanimate objects such as heavy blankets and robots have some effect.
It's already widely known that hugging another person can have healing effects. A new analysis of various types of physical contact, including hugging, has found that even contact with inanimate objects such as heavy blankets, body pillows, and robots can have some benefits.
A systematic review and multivariate meta-analysis of the physical and mental health benefits of touch interventions | Nature Human Behaviour
When and How Does Touch Make a Difference? - Newsportal - Ruhr-Universität Bochum
https://news.rub.de/english/press-releases/2024-04-09-psychology-when-and-how-does-touch-make-difference
New study highlights the benefits of touch on mental and physical health - KNAW
https://www.knaw.nl/en/news/new-study-highlights-benefit-touch-mental-and-physical-health
Science Confirms Hugs Can Ease Pain, Anxiety, and Depression: ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/science-confirms-hugs-can-ease-pain-anxiety-and-depression
Numerous studies have shown that physical contact has benefits for the human mind and body. However, Julian Packheiser, a neuroscientist at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany, said, 'We know the importance of physical contact as a health intervention, but despite many studies, it remains unclear how to best use touch, what specific benefits it can have, and what factors influence it.'
Packheiser and his team conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of 212 previous studies involving more than 10,000 subjects to examine the effects of physical contact on people's health.
The meta-analysis confirmed that physical contact reduces pain, depression, and anxiety in people. The benefits of physical contact were seen in both adults and children, but in the case of infants, the positive effects of touch from their parents were significantly greater, and as people get older, intimacy with the person they touch becomes less important.
In the previous studies included in this study, the types of physical contact varied from hugs to massages, but the type of contact was not particularly important. On the other hand, it was found that the most effective places to touch were the head and face. In addition, while longer periods of physical contact did not increase the physical and mental benefits, more frequent physical contact was found to have more beneficial effects.
'It's not true that more contact is better,' Packheiser says. 'You don't need a long, expensive massage to have a positive effect -- even a quick hug can have a positive effect.'
Particularly noteworthy, the research team noted, is that some benefits were observed even when the physical contact was with inanimate objects such as a heavy blanket, a body pillow, or a robot, rather than with a human. Contact with these inanimate objects had less of an effect on mental health than contact with humans, but had the same effect on physical health as contact with humans.
While the effects of physical touch vary from person to person, the data suggests that at least the patterns across populations suggest that physical touch benefits both mental and physical health. 'If you feel like hugging a family member or friend, feel free to do so as long as they consent,' Packheiser advised.
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