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Consoling touch is a pro-social behavior involving physical contact between a distressed individual and a care-giver. The physical contact, most recognized in the form of a hand hold or embrace, is intended to comfort one or more of the participating individuals. Consoling touch is intended to alleviate or lessen emotional pain. This type of social support has been observed across species and across cultures. Studies on social touch have found little differences in consoling touch across cultures suggesting a degree of universality. While the degree of social touch varies across cultures, it remains unclear whether the relationship between social touch and interpersonal emotional bonds reflect biologically driven bonding or culturally normative behavior. Evidence of consoling touch in non-human primates, who embrace one another following distressing events, suggests a biological basis. Numerous studies of consoling touch suggest a consistent physiological response. An embrace from a friend, relative, or even stranger can trigger the release of oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin into the bloodstream. Cortisol, a stress hormone, also decreases. Studies have found that the degree of intimacy and quality of the relationship between consoler and the consoled mediates the consoling effect. In other words, while humans will show lowered cortisol levels as a result of a hand hold from a stranger, they will show a greater effect when receiving comfort from a trusted friend, and even greater an effect from a high quality romantic partner.

Harlow’s contact comfort theory demonstrates the importance of social-touch. Harry Harlow conducted controversial research on rhesus monkeys in 1965. Harlow examined how the development and behaviors of monkeys differed depending on the degree of socialization. Infant monkeys were separated from their biological mothers at birth and given two inanimate surrogate mothers. The first was constructed of wire and contained a feeding mechanism. The second did not contain food, but rather was constructed of rubber and soft terry cloth. In all variations of the paradigm, the infants spend significantly more time clinging to the cloth mother over the wire mother. Only when the monkeys were hungry did they leave the cloth mother, only to return to the cloth after eating. The need for close comforting physical contact became known as contact comfort. Contact comfort is believed to be the foundation of attachment and serves as the basis for consoling touch.

Extensive research has documented the importance of physical touch in human emotional and physical wellbeing. From a developmental perspective, touch plays a vital role in infants’ physical development, neurodevelopment, stress relief, and the development of attachment [13–15]. Nurturing touch is positively associated with children’s neuronal development thus determining the trajectory of their behavioral and cognitive growth. Though no laboratory studies exist due to ethical considerations, observations of infants lacking in consoling touch had between 20% and 30% less brain mass than infants of similar age who received sufficient touch. These data were taken from children in orphanages where the caretaker to child ratio was 1:25.

From a therapeutic perspective touch is thought to provide comfort and facilitate healing. In a 1993 study of young adults undergoing chemotherapy, hand-hoping was perceived to be a very effective coping strategy in ameliorating treatment-related pain. Overwhelmingly, patients preferred to hold the hand of a close relative or partner. Consoling touch functioned to reduce anxiety associated with impending treatments and act as a source of security. Patient’s subjective experience of treatment-related pain was reduced when they felt more secure, less tense, and were given social support.

Recent research has shown that consoling touch modulates emotional responses as well. In a 2019 study, the neurobehavioral correlates of social touch were examined by showing participants of recently deceased relatives in two conditions. Participant brain activity was monitored via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) either in solitude, or while holding a partner’s hand. Activation varied in several brain areas including reduced reactivity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and cerebellum in the hand-holding condition. The experiment was repeated while holding the hand of a  stranger as compared to holding the hand of a significant other to distinguish between consoling touch and the physical action. Connectivity between the anterior insula and the ACC was reduced during partner touch, and the connectivity strength was negatively related to attachment security, with higher reported partner security associated with weaker connectivity. In summary, consoling touch from a partner attenuated reactivity in emotional brain areas and reduced between-region connectivity.

These findings beg the question as to if consoling touch alleviates physical or emotional pain. Studies show consoling touch is useful in reducing both kinds of distress, a growing body of research has found that physical pain and emotional pain are processed in overlapping neural regions. The degree of overlap, however, is still under debate.