One of my colleagues sent me an article about the importance of touch for human beings. On February 22, 2010, New York Times Health section published an article, "Evidence That Little Touches Do Mean So Much", by Benedict Carey.
The article discusses how touch can be a very powerful and positive non-verbal way to communication with others, giving an example of how positive touch is correlated to outstanding performance or high achievement in different arenas like school and sports. There was also a small section that talked about how hormones are affected by touch.
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