I agree. Four siblings and I were born to non-touching parents. Decades later I learned that before our parents were born (circa 1905), a book by a parenting guru/charlatan said touching makes children dependent. It does worse than that but the story is too long to tell here.

Yes, touch is important especially for children...

I suspect that some are more naturally inclined to reject most touching. I don't buy such a thing as "touch deprivation" as described in the bit of the article (which I didn't read) that you posted. I do suspect that people touching one another often is a learned suppression of natural inclinations. At the same time, I also realize that some of this might be genetic code at play, perhaps even ancient code, which I suspect is the origin of chronotypes.

Born prematurely, I have a deep unmet need for tender touch. I manage it well and never pick up men.

I weighed 3.3 lbs. at birth with an un-inflated lung. Spent two months in an incubator. Nurses slapped my tiny feet to make me scream to exercise my lungs. Surgeons planned to remove my useless lung when I reached 10 lbs.

"Kathleen won't eat," my mother told the doctor after I went home. "She looks up at me with her big brown eyes and refuses the bottle."

"Sing to her," the doctor advised. "She senses your tension. It will relax you both."

When my mother rocked and sang to me, I began drinking the bottle. At six months, I reached 10 lbs. Heartbroken, Mom took me to have my lung removed.

Doctors discovered my collapsed lung had spontaneously inflated. "I snatched you up and took you home," Mom said. Finally I got out of isolation and could join the family!

As an adult, my mother's beautiful soprano singing moved me to tears.

Photo: Six months old at a mighty 10 lbs.

Indeed...

Oh, I don't know if it's a need for everyone, especially when a person has experienced too much inappropriate touching or feels that allowing a touch leads to more unwanted touching. Not that it's always the case, but once the guard is up, it's easy to tell oneself that physical touch is not necessary and can be more harmful than good in some cases.

Sometimes the lack of physical touch is a blessing. It is for me anyway, at this point in my life. I'm sure that's awful to say, but I'm actually relieved during this time of social distancing, since that's a great excuse to discourage closeness.

I'm able to turn off the need for physical contact pretty easily, except for my grandchildren. I can't help myself when they initiate a snuggle. If they ever indicated they didn't want my touch, I would surely keep my hugs to myself. I would never impose a touch or hug on someone who doesn't invite or welcome it. I guess that's because of my past experiences, which taught me to guard firmly who gets to touch me, and be sure not to ever make anyone uncomfortable with my own touch.

It's definitely a fundamental need for children and people seeking partners, to have that human touch, but there are some people for whom that need goes away, when it rings bells and alarms of impending danger.

I fully understand that some people really need that human touch, but I reserve the right not to be the one to do it, especially when being guilted into it, citing articles and studies, while the motives of the person begging for the physical touch are sometimes questionable, and make me uncomfortable.

I know that's awful for me to say, but it's where I am in life. Just putting it out there that not everyone is craving human touch, that it can also be a trigger for stress.

I wonder how people in long distance relationships, who's relationship started as long distance not became one, who's sole method of bonding is via communication using various mediums, handle it. Yes eventually they do meet in person and do touch, but is their bond less or more powerful due to the deprivation of that physical touch sensation? I wonder...

Remind me to reply to this in the next day or two.

Probably also why we love stroking dogs and cats - and why they enjoy it.

Very important. I didn’t get it as a child and didn’t realize it until a few years ago