Week 5 post 2 for mrs.dunley
Week 5 post 2
The concept of touching a stranger is very abnormal and taboo, especially in western society. A study done by Stanford University shows that people in western society touch far less often than their counterparts, such as places in Central America. For example, this study showed that if friends in the UK got together at a cafe, they would touch 0 times; in the united states, people touched maybe two times by accident, and in places like Central America or Italy they touched both respectfully and endearingly upwards of 180 times. This reflects the happiness of the countries. While maybe the US is ranked higher in some areas due to more stability, overall, the population feels more loneliness and depression than most other countries. Touch is one of the most simple yet important senses we have because it can convey emotions and thoughts before speech ever could; Touch is the first sense humans develop in the womb, possessed even of 1.5cm embryos. Because there is such a lack of touching in western society, it has even been manipulated by the economy to benefit them. People have created places where someone can pay to be cuddled. Humans love the sensation because it is directly correlated with happiness. People have created so many different feeling products simply because people love the feeling of texture. The pressure of being touched triggers receptors, which slow down heart rate, blood pressure, and stress levels. When trying to figure out why children in orphanages were dying and so clearly depressed, they found out that holding them seemed to change these rates immensely in a positive way. Merely touching and showing care can be very beneficial for one's physical health. Clearly, there is a lack of this fundamental feeling. So the question this raises is why? Why are western societies so much more deprived of touch than their counterparts.
There are many different reasons, but it is essential to keep in mind that this is not something extremely new, and cannot be one hundred percent blamed on new technology, as some people might suggest. The first and most obvious one is that many people feel scared of sexual harassment and abuse or the very opposite of that which is to be falsely accused. In an over-sexualized society, both of these things are much too real and damaging to people's lives. The second reason ties straight into the last one, which is that western society is very sexual and objectifying, which unintentionally sexualizes touching other people. The 3rd possible reason is the very prominent homophobia, which makes some people afraid of touching because they do not want to be accused of that even though it's a completely normal thing. Another reason could be that western society has this built-in phobia against masturbation or anything of that sort due to profoundly Christian influence. Lastly, people might not touch as much out of the idea of seeing people as ''the other''; the feeling that in modern society countries are so divided, and so the idea of touching those other, different people scares them. This is important to realize because touch, for many people, is a vital aspect of happiness. Learning how to respectfully and safely interact with people is a vital part of overcoming the limitations that society has put on humans.
The concept of touching a stranger is very abnormal and taboo, especially in western society. A study done by Stanford University shows that people in western society touch far less often than their counterparts, such as places in Central America. For example, this study showed that if friends in the UK got together at a cafe, they would touch 0 times; in the united states, people touched maybe two times by accident, and in places like Central America or Italy they touched both respectfully and endearingly upwards of 180 times. This reflects the happiness of the countries. While maybe the US is ranked higher in some areas due to more stability, overall, the population feels more loneliness and depression than most other countries. Touch is one of the most simple yet important senses we have because it can convey emotions and thoughts before speech ever could; Touch is the first sense humans develop in the womb, possessed even of 1.5cm embryos. Because there is such a lack of touching in western society, it has even been manipulated by the economy to benefit them. People have created places where someone can pay to be cuddled. Humans love the sensation because it is directly correlated with happiness. People have created so many different feeling products simply because people love the feeling of texture. The pressure of being touched triggers receptors, which slow down heart rate, blood pressure, and stress levels. When trying to figure out why children in orphanages were dying and so clearly depressed, they found out that holding them seemed to change these rates immensely in a positive way. Merely touching and showing care can be very beneficial for one's physical health. Clearly, there is a lack of this fundamental feeling. So the question this raises is why? Why are western societies so much more deprived of touch than their counterparts.
There are many different reasons, but it is essential to keep in mind that this is not something extremely new, and cannot be one hundred percent blamed on new technology, as some people might suggest. The first and most obvious one is that many people feel scared of sexual harassment and abuse or the very opposite of that which is to be falsely accused. In an over-sexualized society, both of these things are much too real and damaging to people's lives. The second reason ties straight into the last one, which is that western society is very sexual and objectifying, which unintentionally sexualizes touching other people. The 3rd possible reason is the very prominent homophobia, which makes some people afraid of touching because they do not want to be accused of that even though it's a completely normal thing. Another reason could be that western society has this built-in phobia against masturbation or anything of that sort due to profoundly Christian influence. Lastly, people might not touch as much out of the idea of seeing people as ''the other''; the feeling that in modern society countries are so divided, and so the idea of touching those other, different people scares them. This is important to realize because touch, for many people, is a vital aspect of happiness. Learning how to respectfully and safely interact with people is a vital part of overcoming the limitations that society has put on humans.
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