When We Touch: Handshakes hugs hi

Touch matters

We rely on touch every day of our lives. It makes us who we are. It helps us connect with those around us. And yet touch between individuals can be fraught with confusion and misunderstanding.

In When We Touch, social neuroscientist Professor Michael Banissy blends expert scientific insights with anecdotes from 90s rom coms to office politics to explore the new science of human touch.

His groundbreaking new book explains why touch is essential for healthy development, why a hugged person is a healthier person, how holding hands can make you less afraid, why teams who high five each other win more games, and how a shared handshake makes you more likely to tell the truth.

Banissy tackles the nuances of appropriate touch across culture and gender, investigates our 'touch personas' and why they differ, and offers solutions to the 'touch hunger' that has become a modern epidemic.

From the most inconsequential to the most salient moments of human contact, When We Touch is a fascinating and entertaining exploration of our most overlooked sense.