It is well for a man not to touch a woman (I Corinthians 7:1).
For some unknown reason, this is the first Scripture verse that came to mind when I was thinking of writing this piece, though there are others that are better, so I am going with it. Touch is a powerful thing. In the area of male and female relationships it must be used very carefully because of the emotions that can be triggered as a result of a touch.
In the most recent issue of Psychology Today (April 2013) there is an article by Rick Chillot called, Touch, Louder than Words. I thought the article was good, but I am only going to share a couple of brief quotes to stimulate your curiosity to read it and to remind Christians how important touching is.
In a study by the University of Illinois, physical contact between professional basketball team mates was tracked: The study revealed that the more on court touching (chest bumps, high fives, back slapping, etc.) there was early in the season, the more successful teams and individuals were by season's end. The effect of touch was independent of salary or performance, eliminating the possibility that players touch more if they're more skilled or better compensated.
. . . research shows that touch can communicate multiple positive emotions: joy, love, gratitude, and sympathy . . . touch is a much more nuanced, sophisticated, and precise way to communicate emotions.
A warm handshake, hug, pat on the back, high five, fist bump, etc can work motivational and attitudinal wonders!
Our Father's Love*
Tom
*I'd give you a hug if I could.
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