Skin hunger: why touch has never been more important in our socially-distanced times
From birth to death, philosophy to art, a world without touch is a world without humanity. No wonder we hanker so much after it now
15 January 2021 • 8:00am
The Human Touch, Fitzwilliam Museum
Credit: Fitzwilliam Museum
Among the many words and phrases that came to define 2020 – lockdown, circuit breaker etc – one struck me as especially heart-rending: skin hunger. It refers to our visceral need for skin-to-skin contact, which stimulates oxytocin (aka the “cuddle hormone”), reducing stress levels. According to scientists, simply hugging someone can prolong your life by a few seconds. As we enter a third national lockdown, though, touching others is what many of us are still denied.
David Scrase loved giving impromptu gifts. Colleagues at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge recalled returning to their desks to find fresh fish or asparagus from a local market stall sitting on