Soothing touch eases the pain of social rejection, study finds

Author: Amina Zafar

An in-person hug is much more effective than 'liking' a post or texting an emoji.

The soothing power of touch eases both physical pain and the sting of hurt feelings, say researchers — a finding that may be increasingly important in our social-media-driven world.

When someone hurts an arm, they may brace and rub it to make it feel better. In the past 20 years, scientists have discovered that our hairy skin has cells that respond to a stroking touch. It's a trait we share with other mammals.
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Now psychologists in England say their work shows, for the first time, that a gentle touch can be a buffer against social rejection, too.  

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