New research explores the role of caring touch and respective hormones on building cooperative communities

You’ve written previously on cuddles and touch haven’t you?

Yes, indeed cuddles have been shown to improve wellbeing and improve memory amongst many other things. There has also been a bunch of research showing that touch amongst sports team members improves performance.

Research Hit: Cuddles Do Improve Wellbeing

This paper just published by Michael Grieser et al. of the University of Konstanz outlines what they have called the caring-touch hypothesis (CT-H)

And what is this?

The caring-touch hypothesis posits that those species that have caring touch, often exhibited in childhood but also between adults, predicts the amount of cooperation and collaboration in groups and communities irrespective of species. This is modulated by, mostly, the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin (and related forms).

But aren’t some species just more cooperative?

Yes, but these all exhibit higher caring touch in all stages of life, and are…