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What if one of your senses isn't functioning properly? Who do you seek out for help? Otolaryngologists are the experts for your ears, nose, and throat (hence their nickname, ENTs). Ophthalmologists focus on your vision. If you're dealing with issues in hearing, taste, smell, or sight, these specialists are the ones you visit.
But what happens when something goes wrong with your sense of touch? You’d have to consult a neurologist or possibly even a brain surgeon. There isn't a specific doctor just for touch—perhaps because we often consider it the least significant sense.
Or perhaps it’s because there’s still so much we don’t understand about touch compared to the other senses. Every year, we discover more about this often overlooked sense, and it might actually be more important than we ever realized.
10. Touch Can Affect Decisions
Many people believe they have control over their thoughts and decisions. This is known as free will, and it's quite significant. But are you absolutely certain that the decisions you believe to be honest and objective are truly your own?
Recent research indicates that you may be subtly influenced by even the smallest factors without realizing it. Researchers placed volunteers in different scenarios to test the concept of scaffolding, which suggests that 'humans learn to grasp abstract mental concepts by relying upon physical sensations.'
Participants who evaluated resumes on heavier clipboards perceived them as more professional than those on lighter clipboards. In another test, people sitting on hard chairs were less likely to negotiate prices compared to those sitting in softer chairs. Those handling rough, sandpaper-like puzzle pieces rated social interactions more negatively than others.
Why do your physical surroundings influence your views?
Researchers believe that this influence is linked to the experiences you had as a child. During those formative years, your encounters with the physical world played a major role, as young children don't yet have memories to compare things to.
9. Impacts Taste
Everyone has their own unique taste preferences, but there are five universally recognized flavors: sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and umami (savory). Although scientists debate whether new flavors should be added to the list, there's a general consensus that the heat from hot peppers or the coolness of mint are not actual tastes. These sensations are not processed by taste buds, but rather by touch receptors.
Capsaicin is the compound that gives peppers their heat, and it specifically activates the TRPV1 receptors in your skin. These nerve receptors are responsible for sending signals to your brain when they encounter temperatures around 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 °F), which is considered the threshold for heat-induced pain in humans.
Capsaicin activates these receptors at a much lower temperature of 35 degrees Celsius (95 °F), which is even below the normal body temperature. These TRPV1 receptors are spread throughout your body, which is also why pepper spray is effective.
What’s actually happening is that your body mistakenly interprets a chemical irritant as heat. However, “spicy” and “hot” are not actually tastes. These sensations don't even follow the same pathways to reach your brain.
Similarly, peppermint and menthol activate the TRPM8 touch receptors, tricking them into sending signals to your brain that something is cool.
In fact, the sensation of mouthfeel may impact various taste perceptions. Studies have demonstrated that the viscosity of food can influence how we perceive sweetness. Some scientists theorize that touch fibers in our taste buds may help us identify fats and the taste of “creamy.”
8. The Different Effects on Men and Women
Even a gentle touch can have a profound impact. Research shows that non-sexual, friendly touches can lead to both physical and psychological changes. One particular study found that people feel more self-assured when touched by a woman. Additionally, when a man is touched by a woman—like a simple pat on the back—it encourages him to take more risks.
The reason why a woman's touch increases confidence likely stems from the constant nurturing contact babies receive from their mothers, which promotes security. Physical interaction with a woman evokes a similar feeling of comfort. The study revealed that handshakes don't produce the same effect, and being touched by a man doesn’t foster greater confidence.
Another study found that a woman’s body temperature can rise by almost a full degree when touched by a man. The areas most affected are the face and chest, which become notably warmer. Interestingly, about one-quarter of the participants didn’t even notice the temperature change. Men also experience a slight rise in temperature, but to a much lesser degree.
Ladies, feel free to touch anyone you like. As for men, only touch others if they’re feeling chilly.
7. It's Extremely Delicate
Our senses of sight and hearing are vital to most of us and easy to assess. If your sense of smell or taste is exceptionally developed, you might want to consider a career in the perfume or food industries.
Although often overlooked, the sense of touch has been gaining attention, particularly in the context of the ever-growing use of touch screens in our electronic devices. Despite it seeming like the least of the five senses, it is now finally receiving its due focus.
In order to design a more effective touch screen, we need to understand just how sensitive our sense of touch really is. Researchers in Sweden have discovered that the human finger can distinguish between surfaces with ridges as fine as 13 nanometers in amplitude. To put that in perspective, a nanometer is one-thousandth of a micrometer, and a micrometer is one-thousandth of a millimeter, which translates to approximately 0.00004 inches.
Humans can even feel large molecules and single-celled organisms on smooth surfaces. Viruses, ranging from 20 to 300 nanometers in size, fall well within the touch-sensitive range of our fingertips. Our sense of touch reveals a world that is beyond the reach of our eyes.
6. A Pathway to Achievement
Touch is the first and most developed sense in infants, making it crucial in our interactions. It's so vital that teams that are more inclined to physical contact—whether through gestures or small touches—often see greater success.
Although prior research has demonstrated that emotions can be conveyed through touch, no study had explored how it impacts performance. An NBA study revealed that teams with more physical interactions—such as fist bumps, high fives, shoulder bumps, and team huddles—tend to perform better both individually and as a group.
During an entire basketball season, researchers tracked every instance of intentional physical contact between teammates. The findings indicated that teams that engage in frequent physical touch were more cooperative and achieved greater success.
5. Related to Hearing
Hearing has been extensively researched. With breakthroughs in DNA sequencing, scientists have identified more than 70 genes linked to deafness or hearing loss. However, no gene has been found that affects the sense of touch.
A group of researchers in Berlin aimed to explore the genetic connection between hearing and touch, given that they function in similar ways. Both senses are unique in that they rely on transforming mechanical forces into electrical signals.
The study, which included identical and fraternal twins, revealed a connection between loss of touch and hearing impairment. Additionally, individuals with Usher syndrome, a condition that causes both deafness and blindness, also exhibited diminished touch sensitivity. Usher syndrome stems from a mutation in the USH2A gene.
This research provided insight into how a poor sense of touch may be hereditary and suggested an evolutionary link between hearing and touch. However, it's important to note that not everyone with hearing loss experiences touch sensitivity issues. The genetic factor (heritability) for touch was found to be approximately half as strong (0.28) compared to hearing (0.52).
4. Science Can’t Turn It Off
Your sense of touch is a multifaceted phenomenon that remains somewhat mysterious. For example, even when a person's fingers are numbed, they can still use their hands effectively. Though you’d expect to feel nothing, research shows people can still perceive fine surface textures.
So, if medical procedures have numbed the nerves in your hand, what then is responsible for the sensation of touch?
The answer might lie in the fact that vibrations from touch travel further up the arm. If your hand is numbed by painkillers, could parts of your hand near the wrist still be picking up vibrations and interpreting them as touch?
Researchers believe that the hand may interpret vibrations similarly to how the ear processes sound. Current studies are focusing on these vibrations to better understand the underlying mechanics. This research could lead to advancements in more sensitive robots, improved prosthetics, and more immersive virtual reality experiences.
3. Fingerprints
The unique patterns of epidermal ridges, commonly known as fingerprints, have long been a mystery. Since most animals don’t have them, what is the reason we do?
For many years, the prevailing belief was that fingerprints enhanced grip strength. However, recent experiments suggest this is likely inaccurate. In fact, fingerprints might even hinder grip in certain situations compared to smooth skin.
So, what exactly is their function?
Georges Debregeas and his research team at the University of Paris conducted a different type of test on fingerprints. Their findings indicate that fingerprints improve our sense of touch, rather than enhancing grip friction.
The touch receptors are located deep within the skin. Their experiments revealed that fingerprints not only transmit signals to our nerves but also act as filters, blocking out irrelevant vibrations—anything above or below 250 hertz, which is comparable to white noise in terms of tactile sensation.
Rather than the brain processing every sensation and trying to decode them, our bodies might have natural filters and amplifiers that ensure we only receive the most crucial information.
2. Inattentional Numbness
Researchers suggest that the optimal moment to steal a wallet is when a person’s attention is diverted—such as when they’re reading train or flight schedules. One study revealed that 'noticeable tactile stimulus was reduced when [participants] carried out the more taxing visual search task.'
This phenomenon is known as inattentional numbness. A study conducted at Royal Holloway, University of London, provides the first evidence that focusing intently on something can reduce sensitivity to touch. It was previously understood that people might overlook visual or auditory cues when distracted, but tactile sensations had not been tested in this manner.
The research found that participants were less able to detect clear tactile signals when their visual attention was heavily occupied. This discovery is significant, especially with the rise of smart cars that use tactile feedback to alert drivers when they drift out of their lanes.
1. Women Have Better Touch
It might not come as a surprise to many, but women usually have smaller hands than men. Studies examining the sense of touch have found that smaller hands tend to be more sensitive than larger ones. 'Tinier digits likely have more closely spaced sensory receptors.'
Our fingers are filled with sweat pores, each surrounded by different types of sensory receptors. Some of these receptors respond to pressure, while others detect vibrations.
Adults generally have the same number of sensory receptors, regardless of hand size. However, those with smaller hands have these receptors packed more closely together, resulting in a finer sense of touch. This could explain why people with smaller hands may excel in touch-dependent professions, such as surgery or embroidery.
The research is still in progress, with the goal of determining whether children possess an even more heightened sense of touch.
