Patti Wood Body Language Expert Blog

How Touch Can Trigger Our Emotions and Perhaps Lead Us to Be More Adept Socially. Benefits of Touch

How Touch Can Trigger Our Emotions and

Perhaps Lead Us to be More Adept Socially.

Benefits of Touch

While touch always involves awareness, it also sometimes involves emotion. Now, scientists describe a system of slowly conducting nerves in the skin that respond to gentle touch. Investigators are beginning to characterize these nerves and to describe the fundamental role they play in our lives as a social species. Professor McGlone believes that possessing an emotional touch system in the skin is as important to well-being and survival as having a system of nerves that protect us from harm. The work also suggests that this soft touch wiring may go awry in disorders such as autism. (By the way if you have not seen the movie about Temple Grandin a fascinating woman with Autism who has revolutionized the way we think about animals in captivity like cows, find it and watch it.)

Here is the research study.

May 21, 2014

Cell Press

The nerves that respond to gentle touch, called c-tactile afferents (CTs), are similar to those that detect pain, but they serve an opposite function: they relay events that are neither threatening nor tissue-damaging but are instead rewarding and pleasant.

Credit: © Piotr Marcinski / Fotolia

While touch always involves awareness, it also sometimes involves emotion. For example, picking up a spoon triggers no real emotion, while feeling a gentle caress often does. Now, scientists in the Cell Press journal Neuron describe a system of slowly conducting nerves in the skin that respond to such gentle touch. Using a range of scientific techniques, investigators are beginning to characterize these nerves and to describe the fundamental role they play in our lives as a social species -- from a nurturing touch to an infant to a reassuring pat on the back. Their work also suggests that this soft touch wiring may go awry in disorders such as autism.

"The evolutionary significance of such a system for a social species is yet to be fully determined," says first author Francis McGlone, PhD, of Liverpool John Moores University in England. "But recent research is finding that people on the autistic spectrum do not process emotional touch normally, leading us to hypothesize that a failure of the CT system during neurodevelopment may impact adversely on the functioning of the social brain and the sense of self."

For some individuals with autism, the light touch of certain fabrics in clothing can cause distress. Temple Grandin, an activist and assistant professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University who has written extensively on her experiences as an individual with autism, has remarked that her lack of empathy in social situations may be partially due to a lack of "comforting tactual input." (By the way if you have not seen the movie about Temple Grandin find it and watch it). Professor McGlone also notes that deficits in nurturing touch during early life could have negative effects on a range of behaviors and psychological states later in life.

Further research on CTs may help investigators develop therapies for autistic patients and individuals who lacked adequate nurturing touch as children. Also, a better understanding of how nerves that relay rewarding sensations interact with those that signal pain could provide insights into new treatments for certain types of pain.

Professor McGlone believes that possessing an emotional touch system in the skin is as important to well-being and survival as having a system of nerves that protect us from harm. "In a world where human touch is becoming more and more of a rarity with the ubiquitous increase in social media leading to non-touch-based communication, and the decreasing opportunity for infants to experience enough nurturing touch from a carer or parent due to the economic pressures of modern living, it is becoming more important to recognize just how vital emotional touch is to all humankind."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Cell Press. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Francis McGlone, Johan Wessberg, Håkan Olausson. Discriminative and Affective Touch: Sensing and Feeling. Neuron, 2014; 82 (4): 737 DOI:10.1016/j.neuron.2014.05.001

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Body Language of Emma Roberts & Evan Peters for Life & Style Magazine, By Body Language Expert, Patti Wood

Body Language Read of Emma Roberts & Evan Peters for Life Style Magazine by Expert Patti Wood

What Your Sleep Position Says About Your Relationship

What Your Sleep Position Says About Your Relationship

I did an interview with Cosmopolitan on peoples' sleep positions. Below is the article and also the actual link to the article. At the link below you can see a picture of the couples in each position mentioned in the article.

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/advice/a34764/what-sleep-position-says-about-your-relationship/

Article on sleep positions as it appeared in Cosmopolitan:

Because your subconscious mind controls the way you sleep with your partner, sleep body language can be an amazingly accurate way to assess what's going on in your relationship — even if you can't or don't articulate those things while you're awake, says Patti Wood, a body language expert with more than 30 years of experience and author of Success Signals, A Guide to Reading Body Language.

Of course, there are always exceptions — if you are and always have been a sleep kicker, you can't blame your partner for sleeping far away from you. But when your or your partner's sleep position suddenly changes, use these clues to decode what it means:

You're the little spoon.

In this position, your partner envelops you in a way that feels simultaneously intimate and secure. Because it involves some serious butt-to-penis contact, "it's a very vulnerable position that's sexual, but says, 'I trust you,'" Wood says

You're the big spoon.

This says you're protective of your partner and maybe even a bit possessive.

You spoon a few inches apart.

New couples tend to have the most physical contact in bed, but when the novelty of bed-sharing wears off, it's common to revert to the positions that make you feel most comfortable and produce the best quality sleep, says Paul Rosenblatt, author of Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing. Sometimes, that means spooning a few inches apart. It's like the big spoon saying, "I've got your back, you can count on me," but it's not as sexual as spooning closer, Woods says.

Your partner cradles your head on his chest.

A face-up sleeping position indicates confidence and self-assurance. When your partner sleeps on his back with your head in his arms, it says, "I have the power and I'm using it to protect you," Wood says. When you, in turn, face your partner in a fetal position, it shows you depend on him. If you sleep with your head on his chest and the rest of your body sprawled out, it sends the message that you want to make decisions for yourself, Wood says.

You face each other.

When you sleep face-to-face, it's an unconscious attempt to look your partner in the eye throughout the night. If your partner suddenly starts facing you, there's a good chance he feels distant and wants to connect, or is hungry for more intimacy — especially if he presses his pelvis against yours.

You sleep on your stomachs.

Because sleeping on your stomach protects the front of your body, the position could be a sign of anxiety, vulnerability, and lack of sexual trust, Wood says. Unless there are back or neck issues, people tend to face the bed because they don't want to or are afraid to face their emotions, Wood says. If your partner suddenly starts sleeping face down, you can cozy up to make him feel more protected.

You sleep on opposite sides of the bed.

This says you're independent or have a desire to be more separate. If you're typically snuggly sleepers though, this position could be a red flag that something isn't right, whether that means stress at work or an untold secret. That said, many people start out snuggling to warm up or show affection, then gravitate toward opposite sides of the bed for a random reason — it could be because your partner has sharp toenails, kicks in his sleep, or moves around too much, or because you get hot when you sleep skin to skin, Rosenblatt says. Also worth noting: Some couples actually get along better when they stop trying so hard to snuggle all night — probably because it can enable you to sleep more soundly and without interruption, which improves your interactions the next day. If you don't like to touch while you sleep, schedule 15 minutes in the morning or at night to snuggle up and in turn strengthen your relationship, suggests Wood.

You sleep facing away from each other with your butts touching.

This position suggests you're a confident couple that appreciates your own space: The facing away from each other hints at the ability and desire to be independent, while the butt touch shows you still want to stay sexually connected, Wood says. For what it's worth, lots of people prefer to sleep facing the outside of the bed to avoid breathing face-to-face, Rosenblatt says. So this position could mean you're sick and tired of your partner's snoring (not your partner himself).

You sleep with nothing touching but your feet or legs.

Being far from the brain and the first part of your body to react in the case of a freeze, flight, fight, friend response, the feet are the most honest portion of the body, under the least conscious control, Wood says. If your partner plays footsie with you in bed, it means he craves an emotional or sexual connection.

You sleep with your legs and arms totally entwined.

When you sleep with arms and legs tangled, it's a sign that you can't get enough of each other — even while you sleep. "It means your lives are intertwined, that you function as a pair. You probably finish each other's sentences and take care of each other," Wood says.

You sleep at different distances from the headboard.

People who sleep closer to the headboard tend to feel more dominant and confident, while those who place their heads further away from it could be more subservient and have lower self-esteem, Wood says. Couples who sleep with their heads at the same level are on the same page. Heads that touch are even better: It's a sign that you have lower self-esteem, Wood says. Couples who sleep with their heads at the same like minds and know what's going on in each other's heads, Wood says.

Body Language Read of Photos of Kim Kardashian and Kanye

Body Language Read of Photos of Kim Kardashian and Kanye

I think Kanye looks so odd in the kiss photo. Kanye looks like he is leaning in, but notice that he is holding his pelvis away in a way that shows he doesn't feel a real sexual connection with Kim. Kim Kardashian’s odd downward turning smile and eyes, show she is having fun playing at the kiss, rather than in the kiss. Kanye’s fingers on her rear end are oddly splayed out and barely touching as if he wants to look like he thinks she is hot, but doesn't feel Kim is hot.

I give the photo a 3 for pretending to be passionate.

The photo of Kim in that fantastic draped coat and Kanye looking like a prisoner. Goodness his forlorn stare off in the distance and pulled down at the corners of the mouth and stiff posture, look like he is going to the gallows. See how she holds his arm but pulls back and does not lean in towards him. He does not respond or react. He looks more like a statue that she is posing with in a museum. This is truly a creepy photo.

I give it a 0.

Touch and the Brain, Neurons in Human Skin Perform Advanced Calculations

Touch and the Brain, Neurons in Human Skin Perform Advanced Calculations

“What one sense would you choose if you had to spend the rest of your life with only one sense?” That was the question last Thursday night in my hot topics discussion group. Many of us chose touch. Here is a research article on how the skin can process information previously thought to happen only in the brain.

Date: September 1, 2014 Source: Umeå University

Summary:

Neurons in human skin perform advanced calculations, previously believed that only the brain could perform. A characteristic of neurons that extend into the skin and record touch, is that they branch in the skin so that each neuron reports touch from many highly-sensitive zones on the skin. According to researchers, this branching allows first-order tactile neurons not only to send signals to the brain that something has touched the skin, but also process Geometric data about the object touching the skin.

Work performed in Andrew Pruszynski's lab.

Credit: Mattias Pettersson

Neurons in human skin perform advanced calculations, previously believed that only the brain could perform. This is according to a study from Umeå University in Sweden published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

A fundamental characteristic of neurons that extend into the skin and record touch, so-called first-order neurons in the tactile system, is that they branch in the skin so that each neuron reports touch from many highly-sensitive zones on the skin.

According to researchers at the Department of Integrative Medical Biology, IMB, Umeå University, this branching allows first-order tactile neurons not only to send signals to the brain that something has touched the skin, but also process geometric data about the object touching the skin.

"Our work has shown that two types of first-order tactile neurons that supply the sensitive skin at our fingertips not only signal information about when and how intensely an object is touched, but also information about the touched object's shape" says Andrew Pruszynski, who is one of the researchers behind the study.

The study also shows that the sensitivity of individual neurons to the shape of an object depends on the layout of the neuron's highly-sensitive zones in the skin.

"Perhaps the most surprising result of our study is that these peripheral neurons, which are engaged when a fingertip examines an object, perform the same type of calculations done by neurons in the cerebral cortex. Somewhat simplified, it means that our touch experiences are already processed by neurons in the skin before they reach the brain for further processing" says Andrew Pruszynski.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Umeå University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

1. J Andrew Pruszynski, Roland S Johansson. Edge-orientation processing in first-order tactile neurons. Nature Neuroscience, 2014; DOI: 10.1038/nn.3804

Patti Wood Body Language Expert Blog

Search This Blog

How Touch Can Trigger Our Emotions and Perhaps Lead Us to Be More Adept Socially. Benefits of Touch

Body Language of Emma Roberts & Evan Peters for Life & Style Magazine, By Body Language Expert, Patti Wood

What Your Sleep Position Says About Your Relationship

Body Language Read of Photos of Kim Kardashian and Kanye

Touch and the Brain, Neurons in Human Skin Perform Advanced Calculations

My Blog List

Labels