AHS22

In the name of pandemic prevention, people have been encouraged to separate from one another via social distancing, avoiding group gatherings, and employing physical barriers from shields to masks. For homo sapiens, which developed in tightly-knit social environments with extremely high levels of social interaction and sensory attunement to our environment, this is a serious mismatch. We have gone beyond trying to sterilize our immediate environments (neglecting our healthy co-evolution with benign microorganisms) and begun seeing our fellow humans as direct threats to avoid, especially those who fail to embrace popular invasive medical interventions. We are designed to experience regular physical touch, and our brains are programmed to experience its absence and this kind of ostracization as extremely painful. We will explore the importance of touch and connection as part of holistic wellbeing and explore whether solutions like professional cuddling can help us replenish this vital nutrient.