What will happen to handshakes and hugs after COVID?

Despite some loosening of restrictions, social distancing measures are still in effect in most cases.

With the virus shifting pretty much everything lately, it's not a surprise that even the simplest joys — like hugs — are now under threat of disappearing.

Will hugs and handshakes become obsolete for good — another part of our new normal? Scientists fear more of us are starving for touch, another unfortunate outcome of the pandemic.

Scientists claim that touch is the fundamental language of connection and that in the wake of social isolation from the pandemic, many of us are experiencing touch deprivation — a serious problem that can negatively impact our immune system, make us less empathetic and unbearably lonely.

It can be especially hard for seniors in nursing homes and those in the hospital sick without the ability to have visitors. By placing six-foot barriers between us and everyone else, we may be preventing the spread of infection but we're also preventing the spread of human connection, something that we're all hardwired for and it's playing a major role in our unhappiness.

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Since skin is the largest organ in the body with billions of cells that process information constantly — each fingertip, for example, has over 3,000 receptors — when we hug or feel a friendly touch on our skin, our brains release oxytocin. 

Affectionately known as the "cuddle hormone," oxytocin sends out signals to our brains flooding us with positive, feel-good sensations of trust, emotional bonding and social connection, perhaps more importantly right now, it also decreases fear and anxiety responses.

Positive touch also regulates digestion, helps us sleep well and it activates parts of our brain that help us empathize.  Ironically, it also improves our immune system so we're less likely to catch colds and other illnesses. Obviously, we need positive touch and the adverse effects of living without it are cause for concern.

Touch deprivation, also known as skin starvation, can feel similar to being starved for food and can impact people on a psychological and even physical level. A lack of touch increases our likelihood for depression, causes anxiety and can make us feel increasingly withdrawn from the world.

Prior to COVID, anyone feeling touch deprived could find comfort through a haircut or a massage — but for obvious reasons those options haven't been as easily available. 

Unfortunately, since the lockdown happened rather quickly, we went from all to nothing overnight. Whether it was shaking a coworker's hand or hugging a friend, most of us were accustomed to some level of platonic physical touch on a daily basis.

Now, for anyone quarantining alone or with others who they don't share physical contact, loneliness and social isolation is a major problem.

Loneliness epidemic not new

Across the board, loneliness has become a major health concern globally. In Canada, pre-COVID, 1.9 million people claimed to be lonely — the U.K. even appointed a Minister of Loneliness after learning nine million of their residents were lonely often or always. A recent survey stated 25 per cent of millennials believe they have zero friends. It's an epidemic with massive health implications.

Several large research studies have learned that the impact of loneliness on our health is the equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. So, this lockdown is just exacerbating an already pressing health problem. But when you dig into the biggest threats to loneliness and touch deprivation, teens and our older community members are at the greatest risk.

This is a tough time for teens to be without social connectedness, not just because depression and anxiety are worrisome issues for this specific group, but they are naturally looking to receive physical contact from friends as opposed to their parents.

So, even if they aren't quarantining alone, they may still be lacking that bonding they need to be mentally well and we shouldn't be overlooking that. Parents need to proactively reach out despite their teen's awkwardness with hugs and physical contact.

Our older population is vulnerable to the coronavirus, and that means even more stringent social isolation practices, but loneliness may have already been an existing threat long before the recent self-isolation period began.

According to census data, approximately 25 per cent of people over 65 are living alone and within that group is a subgroup named "elder orphans" by New York based researchers. They have no spouse or children and limited community support.

Loneliness is already a worrisome issue for this demographic but with so many restrictions on long-term care facilities walled off from any kind of interaction, this can be intensely isolating. On the flipside, positive touch can decrease chronic pain and it even helps increase food intake and medication compliance, so it is necessary for us to get back to that human touch and interaction with our older population as soon as it's safe to do so.

Stave off skin starvation while distancing

The good news is that there are many ways we mimic the good chemistry that comes from human touch. Although we can't replace human touch, we can make social isolation a little bit easier. Here are some suggestions from scientists:

1. Take warm baths.
2. Cuddle up under a weighted blanket.
3. Find time to be cozy — something called Hygge, made popular by the Danes — which can include a variety of activities like drinking warm tea while reading a good book, to throwing on comfy clothes and watching a feel-good movie.
4. Researchers from the University of Miami suggest that there are massive benefits to having a pet right now because the act of petting an animal can reduce touch deprivation.
5. We should try to get as much exercise as we can — simply walking around our room stimulates the pressure receptors in your feet.
6. Finally, tech still has benefits. Although we know there is some burnout related to too many Zoom or Skype calls lately, scientists say we can mimic the cuddle hormone over video conferencing if we can look into someone's eyes and see their smile.

The future of hugs and handshakes?

Do I believe hugs and handshakes will become obsolete? My answer is no but with a small caveat.

Platonic and romantic touch will always be in high demand. We humans are hardwired to seek it out. But I do think that until there is a vaccine, the way we interact with strangers and co-workers in the short term will change.

We've already started to form habits that excludes handshakes and we only hug people in our small bubble, and not just as a general rule for anyone who used to hug everyone they met.

And, the thing with habits is that they normalize, and our brain changes to support those habits.

So, if this is our new normal, it may become our forever normal. But I do believe touch is entrenched in our humanity, and right now we need empathy and hugs and outstretched hands more than ever before.