According to Dr. Vivienne Lewis, a clinical psychologist at the University of Canberra, humans are “hardwired to seek out human touch.” “When we hug someone, that physical contact releases a hormone in the body called oxytocin,” she told the ABC. “Oxytocin makes us feel warm and nice.
Touch starvation refers to a sense of longing for physical contact. Humans are social creatures, and touch plays an important role in development and communication. For some people, the deprivation of human touch may result in negative mental health effects.
The Need For Intimacy
The first and the most obvious reason why you may crave affection is because you don't have enough of it in your life. Some people tend to experience this due to a lack of close relationships, the absence of a romantic partner, or simply not having a strong support network of friends and family.
Touch starvation occurs when you go without skin-to-skin contact for long periods. Over time, it can impact your mental health and well-being. Being touch starved — aka touch deprived or skin hungry — can happen when you have had little to no touch from other living things. As humans, we're wired to crave touch.
1) You crave what it creates
Affection creates the feeling that you're loved, accepted, and safe. Physical touch and other forms of affection are the principal way that we as humans communicate these feelings.
That's your brain talking. Being around the one you love and getting to kiss or cuddle them releases oxytocin. Oxytocin, which has been called the "love hormone," is the thing that makes you feel all lovely inside about your partner and can make you want to invade their personal space even more.
No, it is not "needy" to want affection in a relationship. Simply craving affection is different than being needy. When in love with someone or in a close relationship, it can be normal to want some level of affection to be shown, whether that's through cuddling, kissing, holding hands, or making love.
Men Need Love and Affection
Additionally, some men feel stronger feelings of attachment and connection when there is novelty and adventure in a relationship.
Hugging and other forms of nonsexual touching cause your brain to release oxytocin, known as the "bonding hormone." This stimulates the release of other feel-good hormones, such as dopamine and serotonin, while reducing stress hormones, such as cortisol and norepinephrine.
tactile. adjective. a tactile person likes to touch other people a lot, for example when talking to them.
Some of the symptoms of being touch starved from skin hunger can include: Overwhelming feelings of loneliness and isolation. Experiencing bouts of depression or anxiety. Feeling “stressed out” and under-appreciated.
Men who are attracted to you might even engage in more touch. If a man actively tries to touch you during your interaction, it may mean he wants to get closer to you or close the distance between you two.
Physical touch is one of the five love languages, and it refers to expressing and receiving affection through touch, physical closeness, and other forms of physical connection. Kissing, hugging, holding hands, and sex are all ways of showing love through the physical touch love language.
Both men and women consistently cite emotional stability and maturity as one of the most attractive traits in a potential spouse. While men often fall victim to the stereotype of prioritizing physical attraction, when it comes to a potential wife, they want a woman who is grounded and secure in herself.
Men love physical intimacy. Not just sex, even a non-sexual touch is something that can make them go crazy. Cuddling, hugging from behind, playing with their hair or touching their neck gives them a feeling of being loved. All these actions give them a sense of attachment, passion and care which every guy loves.
"Cuddling, especially with someone you like, gives you a sense of closeness and relaxed intimacy that's difficult to find in other activities. If you feel comfortable with the other person, it kind of just let's you relax and not have to do much physically.
Clinginess can be a caused by a variety of things. Very often, it can be caused by low self-esteem or insecurity. Expressing a strong need for attention can be a manifestation of the fear that a partner either doesn't like you, or that they'll leave.
In the end, it's not selfish to want another person to appreciate, value, or desire you (no matter how you might feel about yourself). In a certain sense, desires themselves are never selfish—but how we act on them can be.
Examples of Clinginess in Relationships
Calling your partner several times a day. Repeatedly messaging them throughout the day. Working yourself into a panic when they don't respond. Constantly stalking your partner's activities on social media.
Never be embarrassed for craving physical intimacy.
It is absolutely normal to want it but this is where you need to place your bets smartly. Don't put yourself in situations you would rather avoid and no hearts will be broken, including your own.
Physical contact of a non-sexual nature — the hugs and squeezes, the handholding, the random touches — can be an effective pathway for maintaining intimacy, with its many benefits.
People who don't get their dose of affectionate touch seem less happy, more lonely, and have a higher likelihood of suffering from depression, mood and anxiety disorders, as well as secondary immune disorder.
Feeling deprived of meaningful human contact can be referred to as skin hunger. People with skin hunger, or who are affection-deprived, are more likely to experience depression and stress, and in general, worse health.