1. Sandra
J.
Weiss,
PhD,
DNSc
Professor
&
Eschbach
Endowed
Chair
University
of
California,
San
Francisco

2. Touch
with
Other
People

3. Touch
with
Animals

4. Touch
with
Objects

5.
Touch
in
Crea8on
of
Art

6. Touch
in
Apprecia8on
of
Art

7. Touch
and
Emo8on
— Regardless
of
the
context,
touch
can
— elicit
emotion
— express
emotion
— How
does
this
occur?
— It’s
all
about
the
very
sophisticated
makeup
of
our
somatosensory
system
–
the
system
that
governs
touch

8.
Somatosensory
System
— First
system
to
develop
in
the
womb
— Most
mature
system
at
birth
— Our
skin
is
its
primary
organ

9. THE
SKIN
— Is
our
body’s
largest
organ
— Covers
about
20
square
feet
— Makes
up
15
to
20%
of
total
body
weight
(
8-­‐10
lbs)

10. THE
SKIN
— Has
about
6
million
cells
in
each
square
inch
— Houses
the
sensory
receptors
that
make
it
possible
to
experience
touch

12. Sensory
Transmission:
From
Touch
to
Tac8le
Percep8on

13. Touch
triggers
an
electrical
and
biochemical
cascade…
— ….that
travels
from
sensory
receptors
in
the
skin
across
nerve
pathways
to
the
somatosensory
cortex
— …and
transmits
detailed
information
about
the
specific
properties
or
qualities
of
touch

14. Somatosensory
Cortex

15. The
Language
of
Touch
Communicates
Emo8on
— Location
— Action
— Intensity
— Duration
— Frequency

16. LOCATION
— The
area
of
the
body
that
is
touched
— Social
and
cultural
meaning
— Different
nerve
pathways

17. SOME
BODY
AREAS
HAVE
MANY
RECEPTORS
AND
NERVE
PATHWAYS
— Face,
feet,
genitalia,
head,
hands,
neck

19. Sensory
Receptors
and
Art
— Because
sensitivity
is
pronounced
in
hands
and
fingertips,
the
emotional
experience
of
the
artist
who
works
with
her
hands
is
dramatically
increased

20. ACTION
— The
gesture
or
movement
used
during
touch
(e.g.
stroke,
squeeze)
— Different
actions
carry
very
different
meanings

21. Ac8ons
and
Emo8onal
Expression
— Stroking
and
patting
–
sympathy
— Hitting
and
squeezing
–
anger
— Pushing
–
disgust
— Hugging
and
stroking
-­‐
love

22. INTENSITY
— The
degree
of
pressure
to
the
skin
(e.g.
firm,
light)
— Can
reduce
or
increase
the
transmission
of
sensory
information
to
the
brain

23. Qualita8ve
Dimensions
— Stimulating
Touch
— Vigorous
Actions
— Highly
Innervated
Locations
— Strong
Intensity
— Complex
Touch
— Varied
Actions
— Diverse
Locations
— Affective
Touch
— Comforting
or
Pleasurable
— Distressing
or
Painful

24. Quan8ta8ve
Dimensions
— Amount
of
Touch
— Frequency
— Duration

25. Touch
Creates
Mental
Images
— This
language
of
touch
elicits
mental
images
— Research
has
shown
that
the
blind
can
create
3-­‐
dimensional
images
of
what
they
touch
on
the
basis
of
tactile
information
alone

26. Mental
Images
— Softness
and
hardness
— Roughness
and
smoothness
— Coldness
and
warmth
— Size
and
form
— Responsiveness
and
rigidity

27. Emo8onal
Quality
of
Touch
— The
language
of
touch
can
affect
emotional
response
differently
based
upon
these
mental
images
and
how
stimulating,
complex,
pleasurable
or
extensive
the
touch
is
— Different
dimensions
of
touch
conjure
up
images
that
create
emotion
when
we
touch
or
are
touched
— This
emotional
response
to
touch
is
influenced
to
a
great
extent
by
our
neurobiology

28. Oxytocin:
A
Hormone
&
Neuropep8de

29. Oxytocin
— Inhibits
our
stress
response
at
all
levels
of
the
CNS
and
decreases
stress
hormones
(cortisol)
— Elicits
a
calming
effect
on
behavior,
and
reduces
blood
pressure
and
heart
rate
— Increases
a
sense
of
contentment,
belonging,
safety
and
general
well-­‐being

30. Touch
and
Oxytocin
— Animal
Studies:
Stimulating
touch
(via
licking
and
grooming)
increases
expression
of
oxytocin
— Human
Studies:
— Maternal
affectionate
touch
of
the
infant
(stroking,
kissing)
and
skin-­‐to-­‐skin
contact
both
increase
oxytocin
levels
— Oxytocin
is
also
released
when
adults
both
give
and
receive
pleasant
touch
(hugging,
holding
hands,
massage)

31. Effects
of
Oxytocin
Release

32. Touch
and
Brain-­‐Derived
Neurotrophic
Factor
(BDNF)
— Animal
studies
also
show
that
stimulating
touch
(high
levels
of
licking
and
grooming)
increases
levels
of
BDNF
as
well
as
altering
expression
of
the
BDNF
gene
over
time
(epigenetics)

33. Effects
of
BDNF
on
Emo8ons
— High
levels
of
BDNF
have
been
related
to
increased
amygdala
volume
— The
amygdala
is
the
main
region
of
the
brain
responsible
for
emotional
expression
and
emotional
response
— BDNF
is
also
a
modulator
of
key
neurotransmitters
such
as
serotonin,
dopamine
and
norepinephrine
that
contribute
to
emotional
well
being
— Emotional
disorders
such
as
depression
are
associated
with
reduced
BDNF

34. Vagus
Nerve
Complex

35. Touch
and
Vagal
Nerve
S8mula8on
— Vagus
Nerve
Complex
–
A
component
of
the
parasympathetic
nervous
system
which
reduces
the
stress
response
and
arousal
— Polyvagal
Theory
of
Emotion
(Porges)
–
Vagal
nerve
stimulation
enhances
positive
emotion
and
helps
to
regulate
negative
emotion
— Touch
activates
the
vagal
system,
creating
relaxation
and
feelings
of
well
being

37. Tac8le
Temperament
— Sensitivity
to
touch
— Immediacy
of
response
–
threshold
for
awareness
—
Reactivity
when
touched
— Strength
of
neurological
and
behavioral
response
— Tolerance
for
being
touched
— Ability
to
endure
the
response
without
distress

38. Impairments
in
Tac8le
Percep8on
— Excessive
reactivity
to
touch
— Difficulty
regulating
sensations
associated
with
being
touched
— Difficulty
recognizing
tactile
sensations
–
hyposensitivity
—
Difficulty
discriminating
between
types
of
tactile
sensation

39. TACTILE
DEFENSIVENESS
— Impairments
can
result
in
a
fight
or
flight
reaction
to
touch
— This
results
most
often
from
a
very
low
threshold
for
touch
— A
person
can
experience
a
strong,
often
frightening
degree
of
emotional
arousal
when
touched

41. Sensa8on
Seeking
— Has
a
very
high
threshold
for
touch
— Attempt
to
touch
and
be
touched
frequently
to
address
feelings
of
tactile
deprivation
— Use
touch
to
increase
stimulation
and
to
enhance
their
experience
of
the
world
–
to
feel
more
alive

42. Persons
with
Down
Syndrome
— They
experience
frequent
challenges
in
processing
stimuli
from
touch
— The
sensory
and
motor
skills
in
hands
and
fingers
may
be
only
modestly
developed
— Their
perception
of
tactile
stimuli
may
be
heightened
(hypersensitivity)

44. Larger
Context
of
the
Response
to
Touch
— Genetic
Predisposition
— Age
— Gender
— Health
Status
— Cultural
and
family
traditions
— Past
experiences
with
touch
— Personal
attitudes
about
touch

45. Touch
and
Emo8ons
— The
language
of
touch
serves
to
both
communicate
our
emotions
and
to
enable
a
fuller
experience
of
them
— Touch
is
inherently
‘emotional’
because
its
sensory
receptors
have
nociceptive
(pain-­‐related),
excitatory,
and
erogenous
capabilities

46. Touch
and
Emo8ons
— Evidence
suggests
that
pleasurable
touch
helps
to
regulate
our
stress
response
system,
increase
our
desire
to
express
emotion,
and
improve
our
emotional
health
through
neurobiological
mediators
such
as
oxytocin,
BDNF
&
vagal
stimulation
— This
type
of
pleasurable
touch
might
occur
in
interactions
with
people,
or
in
the
case
of
Judith
Scott,
also
with
her
art.