# The necessity of human touch

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-necessity-of-human-touch/467110>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 9, 2008, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-necessity-of-human-touch/467110 "2008-10-09T02:34:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cat\_In\_A\_Top\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@Cat\_In\_A\_Top\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_In_A_Top_Hat)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-necessity-of-human-touch/467110/1 "2008-10-09T02:34:25Z")

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I once heard that babies die if they’re not held or coddled on a regular basis. The person saying this was attempting to illustrate the importance of human touch/contact in one’s development and sustainment, but it led me to wonder as to the factual nature of this. Does anyone know of any studies or other general evidence that might support or contradict this?

I thankya. _bow_

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**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-necessity-of-human-touch/467110/2 "2008-10-09T03:19:36Z")

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I searched for “somatosensory deprivation.”

[http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv8-wave&p=somatosensory%20deprivation&type=](http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv8-wave&p=somatosensory%20deprivation&type=)

Looks like some are saying that deprivation can cause violence.

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**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-necessity-of-human-touch/467110/3 "2008-10-09T12:05:42Z")

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I found this [article](http://www.guardian.co.tt/archives/2003-06-03/bratt.html)regarding the lack of touch and related lack of development in children. It claims that “hundreds of orphans” died from lack of touch but did not give a cite.

The study it did cite (study published in the British Medical Journal in 1951, Dr EM Widdowson, from the Department of Experimental Medicine, Cambridge, described the effect of lack of mothering or touching on two groups of children in separate orphanages in Germany, right after World War II. ) related to weight gain trends among orphans in two different orphanages; one which encouraged hugging and touching the children and one which did not.