Deprive a newborn baby of loving touch and the consequences are dramatic. In fact, touch deprivation can lead to a broad range of developmental problems that, if left uncorrected, will most likely carryover into adulthood. Neuroscientist David Linden tells us touch is not optional for human development.
In his latest book, Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind, Linden explains how this "weird, complex, and often counterintuitive system" of touch circuits involving our skin, nerves, and brain enable us to feel pleasure and pain.
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GUEST:
- David J. Linden – neuroscientist and author of Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind
MUSIC:
- “Gne Gne,” Montefiori Cocktail
- “Lebanese Blonde,” Thievery Corporation
- “Tubular Bells,” Mike Oldfield
- “Once Upon a Time There Was an Ocean,” Paul Simon
Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired June 29, 2015.
