Being touch starved — also known as skin hunger or touch deprivation — occurs when a person experiences little to no touch from other living things.

TOUCH STARVATION

Touch stimulates pressure sensors under the skin that send messages to the vagus (a nerve in the brain). As vagal activity increases, the nervous system slows down, heart rate and blood pressure decrease, and your brain waves show relaxation. Levels of stress hormones such as cortisol are also decreased.

TOUCH STARVATION

and

COVID-19

https://cen.acs.org/pharmaceuticals/drug-development/Oxytocin-analogs-show-promise-developing/97/web/2019/04

https://time.com/5817453/coronavirus-human-touch/

https://www.sg.uu.nl/artikelen/2020/04/loneliness-and-touch-starvation-times-coronavirus

https://rinkschelling.com/portfolio-item/skin-hunger

VISUALIZING

the skin

CREATURES

sketches