Why does touch promote wellbeing while a lack of touch results in distress? In a new citizen science project featured in the BBC’s Anatomy of Touch, our team has also implemented the Virtual Touch Toolkit within a new mobile phone app to inform you about the importance of affective touch through interactive exercises, expert interview videos and a daily diary function where you can write about what helped and what didn’t. At the same time, for those willing to share their data, the project will help us to better understand the link between affective touch and wellbeing.
Introduction to the HandsOn App
The HandsOn app incorporates the virtual touch toolkit, a product of a large-scale, academic collaboration between the Universität der Bundeswehr, Cyprus University of Technology & CYENS Centre of Excellence, Liverpool John Moores University and University of Barcelona to offer:
- touch training exercises
- expert interviews, and
- a daily diary function
Together these three functions will allow the user to become informed with the most up-to-date research into the power of touch, train their sense of touch and to reflect on both the videos and exercises and track how these influence their sense of wellbeing.
The HandsOn app combines touch training exercises with video interviews with touch experts as well as a daily diary function. Together these three functions will allow the user to become informed with the most up-to-date research into the power of touch, train their sense of touch and to reflect on both the videos and exercises and track how these influence their sense of wellbeing.
Meet the experts
Full interviews as well as easy-to-digest short clips can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Meet face to face with those in the know. You will hear about the power of touch to soothe, to regulate, to calm, to alleviate pain and to connect and communicate with others. They will tell you about the most up-to-date research findings, making it relevant to your day-to-day experiences. Our range of experts span the globe and include neuroscientists, psychologists and philosophers.
Train your sense of touch
Based on the most up-to-date research, our range of exercises will help you to become more mindful, regulate your stress, help you become more bodily aware and train your sense of touch. Did you know that you have two senses of touch? Do you know where on your body most of your affective touch receptors are to be found? Did you know that they are activated preferentially when stroked precisely at the gentle stroking speed that your mother or father used to soothe you as a child? Download the app and find out for yourselves answers to these and so many more questions. Together with the videos we hope to give you the chance to take back control over your mood and wellbeing with your in-built regulation system; all through the power of touch.
The HandsOn app is a cooperation project of the following research institutions:
