Over the past few decades, psychologists have become more and more aware of the importance of human touch and physical contact in physical and psychological well-being.

The first evidence came from Harry Harlow’s research, in which infant chimpanzees preferred a warm, cuddly, approachable, and food-free mother to a steely, vengeful, and abundantly fed mother.
Today, the Institute for Research on Physical Touch and Contact in Miami, USA, has conducted hundreds of clinical studies on the importance of interpersonal physical touch and contact, hugging, etc., in the physical and psychological well-being of clinical populations. These studies are a foundation for establishing the science of touch and contact. provided a body.

In other words, massage therapy can help children with hyperactivity disorder, attention deficit disorder, joint inflammation, shortness of breath and aggression.
In adults, massage therapy can reduce severe migraine headaches, premenstrual symptoms, blood pressure and cortisol levels, and also increase the immune and neuroendocrine function in patients with breast cancer and AIDS, as well as the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine.

There is a belief that massage therapy can increase the arousal of the parasympathetic nervous system, which also reduces anxiety states and may create a feeling of well-being.

Taken from the book Positive Psychology written by Kate Heffern and Ilona Buñuel