[In-person] Curiosity Café – Touch

It is widely accepted that babies need to be held during early infancy. It reduces stress, supports regulation, and encourages social bonding and healthy development. But what happens when those babies become adults? Is there a point when a person no longer *needs* to be held? In other words: do we ever grow out of our need for touch?

In this cafe, we will reflect on our experiences of touch\* and its implications. As one of the primary ways we engage with our surroundings, touch comprises a vast spectrum of sensations and emotions. It can be pleasurable or painful. It can bring us into our bodies or take us out of them. We enjoy the touch of certain materials against our skin and despise the feeling of others. But while touch plays a meaningful role in our relationships to each other and the world, its value and utility are often debated. To some, touch is a biological necessity; to others, it is merely nice to have. Touch seems reserved for only certain kinds of relationships and no