Touch is fundamental to human development, but gendered expectations around masculinity tend to strip positive touch out of some boys' lives. Touch starvation has been linked to loneliness, depression ...

Parents, family members, and childcare workers can empower children by partnering with them in day-to-day life. Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE, pronounced “rye”) educates caregivers to care for ...

Hugs, kisses, and other forms of positive social touch between consenting individuals are powerful ways to communicate positive emotions such as love and happiness or social support. Surprisingly, ...

Don’t shake hands, don’t high-five, and definitely don’t hug. We’ve been bombarded with these messages during the pandemic as a way to slow the spread of Covid-19, meaning we may not have hugged our ...

Remember the last time someone gave you a really good hug? Not a quick social pat, but a proper, full-body embrace that made you feel momentarily safe in the world? If you’re struggling to recall, you ...

Humans are wired to be touched. From birth until the day we die, our need for physical contact remains. Being touch starved — also known as skin hunger or touch deprivation — occurs when a person ...

Alexandra Parker receives funding from NHMRC. Glen Hosking, Michaela Pascoe, and Sarah Dash do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would ...