Your brain knows when a stranger touches you: How brain reacts to different touches

If you don't like it when strangers touch you, then it's not about your personality - your brain actually knows well when a stranger touches you.

A new study shows that our brain releases special hormones in response to different types of touches.

Let's find out more.

Happiness depends on who and why touches you

The impact of touch on oxytocin levels, known as the "feelgood" hormone, depends on the context, according to researchers from Linköping University and the University of Skövde in Sweden. 

Their study, published in eLife, investigated the influence of touch on oxytocin and found that it is not a simple on/off response but more like a dimmer switch. 

The study involved 42 women who had their arm stroked by their male partner or a stranger while brain activity and blood tests were conducted. 

Results showed that oxytocin levels increased when the partner initiated the touch, but not when the stranger did. 

Context matters a lot

Context is crucial when considering the effects of oxytocin, especially in therapeutic settings where synthetic oxytocin is administered. 

The study was supported by the Swedish Research Council.
 

• Related news:
• brain
• research
• touch
• happiness
• 6 July 2023

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