Would you call yourself a bit of a hugger? Or does the mere thought of a stranger brushing past you in a cafe make your skin crawl? When it comes to being touched, we all have our own attitudes and opinions. But what can science tell us about this understudied and often misunderstood sense?
In this episode, we catch up with Prof Michael Banissy, a social neuroscientist based at Goldsmiths University in London and author of the new book When We Touch.
He tells us all about the fascinating discoveries he has made about everything from the effects of a mother’s skin-to-skin contact on a newborn’s growth and development to the boost in performance sports team’s get when they regularly hit high fives.
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- The intriguing science of phages, with Tom Ireland
- The fascinating science of fermentation, with Prof Andrea Sella
- Why people believe in ghosts, with Ben Alderson-Day
- How to spot a narcissist, with Dr Erica Hepper