Every day, we constantly measure the difference between our thoughts/intentions and the effect they have on others. Observing and listening to people is essential for checking the quality of our work.
But there are times when the talking is done not by words, but by gestures, those special actions that explain it all. A photo: two hands joined, waiting to hold something, one hand that firmly holds and guides another in an experience about to take place. Care, attention, expectation. Touch is more than just a verb expressing a sense: it is empathy, emotion, feeling.
This is confirmed in the book "Storia naturale del tatto" (“Natural history of touch”) published by UTET. Laura Crucianelli, neuroscientist and university professor, has devoted years of study to touch, and specifically to the role of the hands in affective contact. In her book, she explores how touch is essential for identity formation and psychological well-being, pointing out that touch is the first sense by which we encounter the world and the last to leave when we are about to die.
In an interview, she explains that affective touch, slow and light, is essential for developing the perception of one’s own body and for bonding with others. This type of contact is crucial in mother-child interactions, helping to form reassuring bonds and promoting emotional well-being.
Speaking with Annalisa Trasatti, journalist at Artribune and key figure at the State Tactile Museum Omero, Crucianelli discusses the importance of touch in social relations, noting that even though it is a universal language, its perception and use vary significantly among cultures and social contexts. Nevertheless, touch remains a fundamental element for expressing affection and building important relationships.
Crucianelli emphasizes that the hands, by means of affective touch, are essential tools for relating with others and for body awareness, and profoundly influence our psychological and social well-being. She explores the psychophysical effects of affective gestures that pass through the skin.
When reading this book, it is impossible not to remember at least one touch we have received or witnessed, and so we become more aware of the important role of our gestures and hands in our exploration of the world and its emotions.
Italiano
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