Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind

Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind is an engaging and fascinating examination of this critical interface between our bodies and the outside world, between ourselves and others. David Linden explores every aspect of touch: how has touch come to be central to social interactions and in general health? (Touch deprivation affects a range of psychiatric and physical conditions, such as obesity, type II diabetes and gastrointestinal diseases.) Why can't we read Braille with our genitals? (We actually have seven classes of specialized touch receptors.) Why do women have better fingertip detection of fine tactile form compared with men? How do drugs like Ecstasy work to heighten and motivate sensual touch? What happens in the brain and skin when an orgasm is faked? Why does a hot bath feel great on a cold day and lousy on a sweltering day even though the heat sensors in our skin are activated to the same level in both cases? Why can watching someone else scratch make us feel itchy? Is there a biological basis for the use of acupuncture for pain relief? Why is tickle sensation unique and why can't we tickle ourselves?

Speaker: David Linden, Johns Hopkins