It was New Year’s Day of 1907. A staggering 8,150 people lined up at the White House to shake the hand of President Theodore Roosevelt. That is a presidential handshaking record that stands to this day.
There is no substitute for a physical touch.
In the 1990s, two scientists traveled to Romania to examine the sensory deprivation of children in understaffed orphanages. The touch-deprived children had strikingly lower cortisol and growth development levels for their age group.
Author Deb Caletti said, “That’s what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you’re not so lovable.”
The Scripture goes so far as to say, “Greet one another with a holy kiss” (Romans 16:16).
In the age of social media and COVID, a gentle physical touch is something you only find in the history books. But we were created for touch.
Recovery Step: Find someone whom you can encourage today with a gentle, non-sexual touch.
