Human touch in a pandemic world. Impact and Interventions.

The new study shows that touch remains very important to people around the globe – despite or maybe even because of the virus. Last year’s study revealed that 87% of people believe that human touch is key to a happy, fulfilled life. This year’s study shows that number has risen slightly, to 88%. Furthermore, three out of four respondents said that isolation has made them realize how important physical touch is for health. As the data illustrates, we are increasingly aware of the importance of touch in our lives now that we can no longer engage in touch as freely as we did before, when every interaction didn’t require complex mental calculations around the level of risk. In short, our forced isolation has underscored the importance of human touch for our health and well-being.

Before the pandemic, common barriers to human touch included things like lack of time or insecurity about social norms and what type of touch is appropriate and when. The new results show that these traditional barriers are less of a concern these days. In general, more people are spending more time at home, and their lives are less busy. There is also less confusion around social norms, given that most people understand that touch corresponds with risk of contagion. However, overall, there are more barriers to touch than ever before. More than two-thirds of respondents said that there were more barriers to touch today compared to a year ago.

As a society, the data shows that we have accepted these barriers for now and do not seek more forms of touch. Four out of five respondents globally indicated that they avoid touch rituals like handshakes, kissing or short hugs. This is especially true in hard-hit countries like Brazil, South Africa, Italy and France, suggesting that people living in countries that were heavily affected by the pandemic are being especially cautious in their approach to human touch.

In fact, many people surveyed said that their level of human touch during the pandemic has decreased for both their inner circle (family, partners or close friends) and outer circle (colleagues, acquaintances, neighbors). More than a third said that inner circle touch has decreased, while 40% said that outer circle touch has decreased. The decrease in outer circle touch is to be expected, as more people isolate and limit their physical contact to those in their household. Decreases in touch among the inner circle may at first seem counterintuitive, but not when you consider the number of people who live with elderly, immunocompromised or other people who would be at high risk should they get sick, and the fact that most people do not live in the same household with their close friends. Additionally, places like Italy, South Africa and South Korea, where lockdown measures were strictly enforced, have seen significant decreases in the amount of touch within inner but especially their outer social circles. In Italy, more than half of respondents said that their level of outer circle physical touch had decreased since last year. In South Korea, 49% of respondents indicated a decrease, and in South Africa, 46%. South Korea, in particular, is noteworthy because they engaged in less touch than other countries to begin with – making their decreases in touch even more dramatic.

Surprisingly, however, around half of the people surveyed said that their level of human touch during the pandemic has not changed significantly. 46% of respondents globally said that the amount of inner circle touch they experience has not changed in the past year, while 51% said that outer circle touch has not changed. To understand why, we have to look closer at the data, which reveals noteworthy geographic differences in touch behavior. In Germany, Australia, the UK and the U.S., touch behavior has changed less than in other countries. Despite the severity of the outbreaks, fewer people reported changes in the amount of touch they shared with their outer circle, compared to other countries. In Germany, nearly two-thirds of people said their level of outer circle touch had not changed in the past year. In Australia, the UK and the U.S., more than half of respondents said the same. One explanation is that these countries are not “touch friendly” cultures to begin with. We know from our previous global survey that Germany, the UK, Australia and the US are the least touch-friendly countries, so fewer changes in behavior would be warranted. It’s also possible that, in these countries, skepticism about the severity of the pandemic and the necessity of lockdown regulations has translated to fewer observable changes in touch behavior.

Finally, for some groups, the level of human touch has actually increased during the pandemic. People living in households with at least one child, and young people aged 16-19 were nearly twice as likely to report increases in inner circle touch compared to other groups – not surprising given that many families are spending more time together at home. However, young people and single parents were also nearly twice as likely to say their outer circle touch has increased, as well. It seems that with these groups, the need for human connection and touch is considerably greater than their fear of catching the virus or passing it on to others, who might be more at risk.

While the pandemic is not over, around the world people are eagerly anticipating a future that will allow more opportunities for human touch. After many months of lockdowns and forced social isolation, NIVEA’s data shows that the pandemic has highlighted the importance of touch in our lives and could be a remedy against loneliness – though the way that we connect with others through touch will likely change for the foreseeable future.

According to the data, human touch in the post-pandemic world will focus on quality over quantity – in other words, on the inner circle. More than a third of respondents globally expect inner circle touch to increase after the crisis, while outer circle touch is expected to decline in the long run as our current behavior changes become permanent habits. Nearly half of people in Brazil, South Africa UK, US and Italy, in particular, expect their inner circle touch to increase after the crisis, perhaps as a way to make up for lost time. However, while outer circle touch is expected to decrease overall in comparison to pre-pandemic times, a quarter of young people aged 16-19 globally even expect more touch in their outer circle in the long run. No doubt, they have a lot to catch up on and are clearly eager to engage in more touch, once we can tear down the corona-walls.

Across all groups, the pandemic has left us hungry for skin-to-skin touch, much in the same way we experience hunger for food. In all countries surveyed, every third person said that the current level of human touch in daily life is too low, and three out of five people surveyed want to make up for the current lack of human touch after the crisis. Additionally, the data reveals a strong longing for more human touch after the crisis among highly social countries that were hit hard by the pandemic, namely Brazil and Italy. More than three out of four Brazilians and nearly three out of four Italians said that isolation has made them crave physical contact more than ever before. And who can blame them? None of us are likely to forget the images of empty streets and deserted cafes when Italy went into early lockdown.

One thing is clear: it might take time to return to our pre-pandemic levels of touch, yet the pandemic has already left a lasting impression on our hearts and minds – and also on our skin. We now know how it feels to be unable to touch those we love, and all of the isolation and loneliness that comes with that deprivation. If there is a silver lining to this crisis, it’s that the pandemic has given us a new appreciation of the power of touch for our emotional, physical and mental health. In the future, when we can share a hug, a handshake or a cuddle without fear, we won’t take those moments of connection for granted. We will spend more time with loved ones, affirm our bonds with each other, and connect through touch once again.