In interpersonal communications, tactile contact plays a very important role, since it can be a manifestation of attention to a certain person, which makes it possible to strengthen relationships. Tactile communication is not typically used in business settings. However, when meeting friends and relatives, various touches instantly come into play, ranging from simple handshakes to hugs. For some people, this method of communication has become a priority, so they can better absorb information. But closed people usually try to avoid any tactile contact.
Historically, human ancestors were the first to use tactile communication. And, according to scientists, even taking into account developed speech, the number of people without this would be much smaller. After all, touch has the ability to unite different peoples.
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Tactile communication: what is it?
The basis of such communication is the sense of touch.
. There are several types of such communication:
- Professional
. A 1977 study found that managers tend to touch their employees by placing a hand on the shoulder or patting them on the back. In this way they express support and approval; - Social
. What is considered acceptable and acceptable when communicating with strangers or unfamiliar people is shaking hands, touching the forearm; - Friendly
. For example, children and adolescents have special rituals for greeting each other when they meet, which sometimes persist into adulthood; - Love
. The longer a couple is together, the less often they hold hands, hug, and show other signals of affection; - Sexual
. One of the most important types. The desire to touch, kiss and make love to a person we like is developed in us at the level of instincts.
In an era of total suspicion of harassment, there is a high risk of being misunderstood, so you should not overuse tactile communication.
Types of touch and data from some studies
Basic types of touch
In our society, tactile sensations are used as one of the means of communication, and some touches are of a ritual nature . Each culture has its own characteristics in this regard. For example, in India they use kisses on the shoulders, in Russia and Europe - kisses on the forehead and cheeks.
Also, tactile sensations are associated with a person’s professional activity. Doctors, hairdressers or trainers touch another person while doing their job. A special type of intimate touching exists between close people.
In a person deprived of one of the senses, replacement occurs due to other sensations . For example, a blind person has more developed hearing than a healthy person. Deaf and mute people develop their tactile sense to the highest level. Each of the types of sensations interact with each other and depend on each other.
Research into the sense of touch
American scientists, having conducted a number of studies, have proven that both men and women touch each other with the same frequency . There is only one difference - the age factor. Men are more likely to encounter the sense of touch before the age of 30, women - after 50. During the study, it was also established that men like to touch their hands, and women like to touch the hand itself.
In addition, several studies have been conducted that have proven that tactile sensation can change a person's opinion about the same product. For example, this experiment: one passer-by was given a resume in a large and heavy folder, another - on one soft piece of paper. There is only one task - to tell what this person is like. In the first case, passers-by said that the person was serious and experienced; in the second, he was not reliable, but simple and pleasant to talk to.
Another study, the purpose of which was to prove how much tactile sensation affects human consciousness, was conducted using chairs. Two people took part in the experiment. The task was as follows: sitting on a chair, sell a car. The first subject sat on a soft chair, the second on a hard and hard one. During the sales process, the first one was softer in communication with the buyer and easily conceded the price of the product being sold . The second subject was tough and persistent. It was difficult to bargain with him because he was adamant about the price.
Thus, tests by American scientists show that our decision largely depends on the influence of tactile sensations on us. People whose professions are closely related to communicating with people are quite familiar with the sense of touch.
What is tactile perception?
This is an important element in the survival and development of newborns, and there is much evidence for this:
- There is a known case when in one of the orphanages in Europe, a high mortality rate of newborns was recorded and only one child, whose bed was near the door, grew and developed normally. Later it turned out that this child was picked up more often, and babies deprived of physical contact died;
- In a scientific experiment, newborn monkeys were isolated from their biological mothers and "mothers" were made from steel wire and fabric. The emotional state of the cubs with rag “mothers” was much better than that of the second group, which considered metal products to be their “mothers”;
- Twins were left in the maternity hospital, one of them had a congenital defect - a cleft lip. In this institution there were special feeding devices, and the children themselves sucked from hanging bottles. But the baby with a cleft lip couldn’t do this, so they picked him up to feed him. Over time, clear differences in the development of the twins became noticeable: the healthy child grew slowly and was emotionally unstable, while his brother felt much better.
As we can see, tactile perception plays an important role in human life from birth.
Expression of confidence
In fact, we only allow ourselves to be touched by people we can completely trust. And this is by no means accidental. This is how our psychology works. Tactile contact is a very important and significant thing in everyone’s life, so it should not be avoided or tried to be pushed away. There are people who really don’t like hugging, even with loved ones. Such manifestations indicate that not everything is so smooth in their lives, there are internal problems and contradictions in interaction.
Trust is expressed through free tactile touches and stroking. Taking a person by the hand means showing him special warmth, spiritual closeness, and a desire to help. If we want to calm a friend or relative, we hug him. And this almost always has a positive effect on a person, allowing him to calm down. The fact is that hugs open the heart and help restore spiritual closeness and trust if they have been lost for some reason.
What is tactile memory?
If we omit the scientific terminology, then this is the memory of the sensation of touch. Let's list a few facts about this:
- Such memory is well developed in those who are deprived of other types of senses - sight or hearing;
- First of all, even in childhood, painful sensations from touching something sharp or hot are remembered;
- Good development of such memory improves the child’s coordination and imagination;
- Scientists have proven the relationship between schizophrenia in children and tactile disorders.
There are various exercises and techniques for developing tactile memory in children. As we see, young parents should pay utmost attention to this aspect.
How do men and women react to touch?
Men and women may respond differently to touch. It all depends on one’s own status and social conditions .
The American Library decided to study this issue and conducted a series of experiments. In the first study, employees either had to touch or not touch the hands of students who wanted to pick up books.
The girls who were touched by employees when handing over the book reacted positively. They had a good impression of the library and its service. The female students who were not touched by the employees expressed a much more modest opinion of the library, without unnecessary praise. When the employees touched the boys’ hands, the students did not experience any sensations.
In the next study, scientists determined how men and women react to tactile touch. The experiment was conducted in a surgical clinic, where doctors very often make tactile contact with their patients (this is part of their professional duties). After studying the frequency and duration of contacts with patients, patients were surveyed to study their somatic and mental state .
Female patients who were touched by medical workers before surgery said that after tactile contact they were not afraid of the upcoming operation. At the end of the operation, health indicators were normal, which cannot be said about patients with whom there was no tactile contact before the operation.
In men, the opposite effect was observed. After tactile contact, blood pressure increased, which was not observed in those patients with whom nurses did not establish tactile contact before surgery.
Description of tactile sensitivity receptors
Our body is extremely interesting! For example, each receptor is responsible for a specific reaction to external stimuli. There are encapsulated nerve endings (covered on the outside with a special capsule of connective tissue), these include:
- Meissner's corpuscles are located in the shallow layers of the skin. These are free endings of nerve fibers, localized near the smallest vessels, the finest nerve fibers around the hair follicle in those areas where hair is present. The largest number of this type of receptors are located on the surface of the palms, fingertips, feet, borders of the lips, and the tip of the tongue. These receptors help us perceive the outside world.
- Merkel discs are located in small groups in the deep layers of the epidermis and mucosa. These receptors are responsible for the feeling of pressure. They respond to the flexion of the skin under the influence of mechanical stimulation, and perceive tactile irritations that occur when the skin comes into contact with objects. The corpuscles are located in particularly sensitive areas and are surrounded by the finest sensitive nerve endings.
- Lamellar corpuscles of Vater-Pacini respond to vibration actions. They are found in the deeper layers of the dermis, adipose tissue, mucous membranes, and on parts without hair. They serve as detectors of short mechanical impacts. The sensation of vibration appears after irritation and deformation of several Vater-Pacini corpuscles.
The surface of the skin contains unencapsulated nerve endings that transmit the sensation of tickling and movement across the skin.
Ways to perceive information
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Perception is a mental process that reflects what is happening in reality. This process helps a person navigate space, make decisions regarding his next actions and not repeat mistakes.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the types and basic properties of perception:
- Auditory. This type implies the ability to determine various phenomena of the surrounding world using sounds.
- Tactile perception includes tactile, skin contact and the touch system. In this case, the main organ is a person’s hands - it is thanks to them that he receives the necessary information. With the help of tactile perception, a person communicates with people and with the world around him through touch.
- Visual. It consists in combining the processes of creating and constructing visual images of the surrounding world of people.
- Tasty. When we eat food, a signal is sent to our brain from the receptors, with the help of which we can distinguish a sour product from a sweet one, bitter from a salty one.
- Olfactory. It consists of understanding the world through various smells.
Getting rid of illusions
The first step towards recovery will be to identify the underlying disease, since illusions can be a side sign of a more serious illness. To do this, first of all you need to contact a therapist. With the help of medical tests and examination, the doctor will be able to make a diagnosis and, if necessary, refer you to a specialized specialist. For example, if the cause of illusions is symptoms of syphilis, the patient will be referred to a venereologist. In this case, it is worth paying attention to the underlying disease and starting treatment with it. After she retreats, the tactile illusions will pass.
But it happens that this disorder is also mental in nature. In this case, you should contact a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. They will help make or refute the diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. If a specialist identifies a specific diagnosis, he will be able to help with medication and specific therapy. In this area, the approach to each patient is purely individual, therefore self-medication is strictly prohibited. Medicines and recipes read on various forums on the Internet or suggested by friends can only worsen the situation.
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If illusions occur in children before or after bedtime, you should see a specialist and, if necessary, undergo treatment. A psychiatrist or psychotherapist, having worked with the child and his parents, will be able to identify the root cause of this disorder, after which several sessions of psychotherapy will follow, which should subsequently help the child cope with a false perception of the real world.
Discriminative touch system
The discriminatory touch system includes many things from the toes to the neck, sending impulses through the spinal cord. The sensation is perceived in the periphery by axons. More specifically, this is done by sensory axons (located in the dorsal roots of the spinal cord). The impulse signal travels through axon to axon from distal to proximal process. The latter at a particular axon leads to the spinal cord.
This impulse then travels to the brain. These axons, which carry signals from the spinal cord to the brain, are classified as primary afferents. This makes sense because the term means "moving from" towards something. These neurons send signals to the brain. Those that receive neuronal synapses are classified as secondary afferents. These neurons carry the impulse to the thalamus and then synapse it to another set of neurons that move to the cerebral cortex.
Origin of the concept
The ability of the nervous system to perceive external and internal irritating influences with the help of special cells (receptors) and respond to them is referred to as a general concept - sensitivity. Moreover, it is characteristic of both humans and animals. In turn, tactile sensitivity is a type of skin sensitivity. It is interconnected with the sensations of touch and response to stimuli, pressure, and vibration. Tactile receptors are part of the touch system. They are located on the mucous membranes and surface of the skin.
The very concept of “tactile sensitivity” comes from the Latin tactilis - tangible, touch, tango - touching, touching - denotes a type of sensation that occurs after exposure to various mechanical stimuli on the skin (touching, squeezing, pressing, vibration, stroking, pinching, pricking, touching objects and other things).
Somatosensory system
After you have become familiar with tactile sensations and what they are, you should talk about the somatosensory system. It includes several types of feelings from the body. Namely: light, touch, pain, pressure, temperature and joint/muscle sensation.
Each of these is divided into three categories: discriminative touch, pain and temperature, and proprioception. Discriminatory contact includes touch, pressure, ability to sense vibrations, etc. Pain and temperature include: the perception of pain (amount, severity, etc.) and temperature differences. These same categories of sensations also include itching and tickling.
Proprioception includes receptors for everything that happens below the surface of the skin. This combines the sensations of different muscles, joints and tendons. Each of these three categories has its own types of pathways and receptors. The first are directed to the cerebellum in the brain. This part of the brain monitors what the muscles are doing at all times, so any potential damage to this area can greatly affect the senses.
Prosthetics
One of the most difficult problems in creating realistic prosthetics is reproducing tactile sensations. The latter allows a person to know how much pressure they can place on an object without causing harm to it. Without this information, people cannot judge the strength of their grip until the object has bends or cracks.
Pseudounipolar bipolar neurons
Within each somatosensory pathway, there are three types of neurons: pseudounipolar (associative), secondary afferents, and tertiary afferents. Some of them allow a person to react more slowly to stimuli, others to be more receptive. For example, scientists have calculated that the speed of transmission of nervous behavior (impulse) can reach 90 m/sec.
Skin sensitivity differs in different parts of the body. For example, on the thigh or shoulder it is lower (the number of receptors is 1 mg/mm2), while on the tip of the finger there are 2 times more. Adaptation of the skin also varies due to these neurons; it can be long-term (for pain) or almost instantaneous.
An example of the rapidly adapting tactile sense used is putting on clothing. At first you will feel it on you, but after a while you will forget that you are wearing it. The brain's focus is not on the sensation of the clothes on your body, but if you were to concentrate on that feeling, you could instantly feel the contact between your skin and the things you are wearing.
