The Trouble with Touch

I'm sure you've all heard of the concept of "unintended consequences." It's when you make a good plan -- let's call it "Plan A" -- only to discover that the plan, when implemented, produces unforeseen side effects. "Whoa! Did not see that coming!" So we have to scramble and come up with a "Plan B" to remedy the side effects that wouldn't have been there if we hadn't executed this "excellent plan."

Our response to COVID has, I think we all agree, been extreme. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, an extreme response to an extreme event is sometimes necessary. And if COVID is as extreme as, say, Dr. Fauci says it is, well, then, shutting down commerce and locking ourselves in our homes and social distancing and wearing masks is extreme, but necessary. Plan A.

Until we come across unintended consequences. Then we might have a problem.

We knew there would be consequences. You know we knew it because the government immediately sprung into action to give us "relief." No one is questioning the economic impact on the world. Not just us. Businesses have closed, jobs have been lost, people are losing house and even, worst case, life over these consequences. They might not be intended, but they weren't unexpected. But I can think of at least one unintended consequence that I haven't seen anyone talk about.

An article in Greater Good Magazine comes from Dr. Dacher Keltner, Ph.D., the founding director of the magazine and a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley. The article is about the science of touch. Keltner explains that touch is "our primary language of compassion, and a primary means for spreading compassion." He cites interesting studies like one where the person had to try to convey an emotion in a one-second touch on a stranger's forearm. "The odds of guessing the right emotion by chance were about eight percent," he says, "But remarkably, participants guessed compassion correctly nearly 60 percent of the time." We don't know why, but humans respond to touch in ways we don't quite grasp. He quotes Michelangelo's, "To touch can be to give life." Touch is critical to human beings. In another article he explains how "tactile contact is a foundation of the good life," enhancing community, connection, and teamwork. A Psychology Today article explains that "Touch is the first sense we acquire and the secret weapon in many a successful relationship." Studies show that "we appear to be wired to interpret the touch of our fellow humans." Touch increases the speed of communication, enhances connectivity between people, and even helps in healing. Touching is vital throughout our lives.

We've moved on, largely. We had already jumped head first into "internet dating" and "social media" where we can connect without, you know, actually connecting. We have chatrooms and MMORPG games where massive amounts of people can play and "be friends" without ever even seeing each other. We've been working hard to avoid contact, it seems And in today's COVID climate we're told not to have physical cocntact at all. We are mandated to physically disconnect. According to science, that's a bad thing. And, based on increases in suicides, depression, loneliness and such, I think we can clearly see actual, measurable, unintended consequences because of it. But we will not come up with a Plan B, will we?