
No hugging: are we living through a crisis of touch? - oldcynic
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/mar/07/crisis-touch-hugging-mental-health-strokes-cuddles
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xorxarle
This article doesn't address the forcing of children to hug. I think that
children should have autonomy over their own bodies, as a preamble to intimate
encounters later on in life. I would speculate that reverting back to
traditional expectations around bodily contact with family/otherwise for
children could just further exascerbate the problem. I think instead we need
more demonstration of appropriate touching and demystifying what I see to be
necessary caution about the innappropriate, unwanted or otherwise abusive kind
of touching. Plus if touching is good for health and wellbeing this should be
taught. I can think of other reasons why bodily contact is on the decline,
such as the increased accessibility of other people without having to be in
their presence. Media spin possibly has us frightened, where we now obstain
from a gentle arm tap for emphasis, or shying away from offering a hug to
someone in distress. Perhaps having a hug offering rejected is too much for
people when they could just open messenger and send an emoji instead?

