觸摸的力量

Imagine you're sitting in your local café watching two people you don't know. It's likely that you could guess quite a lot about their relationship based on how, and how often, they touch. It might also tell you quite a lot about what culture you live in. In one study from the 1960s, couples in cafés in Puerto Rico were seen to touch each other an average of three times per minute, while those in London averaged zero times an hour.

想象一下，你現在正坐在當地的一家咖啡店裏注視着兩位陌生人。依據他們的接觸方式和觸碰頻率，你可以對他們的關係猜出大概。同時也可大概瞭解當地的文化。20世紀60年代的一項研究表明：坐在波多黎各咖啡店的夫妻們每分鐘觸碰彼此的頻率爲3次，而在倫敦咖啡店坐着的情侶們一小時都沒觸碰過彼此。

A lot of what we know about the importance of human touch comes from looking at the behaviour of other species. Many animals and birds groom themselves to remove dirt and parasites from their coat, but primates, our closest relatives, spend up to 20% of the day grooming each other. This is usually a rhythmic combination of vigorous finger-thumb pinches that pluck out pieces of debris, mixed with gentler sweeps that provide a stroking sensation.

人類從觀察其它物種的行爲了解了觸碰的重要性。很多的動物和鳥類都會給自己梳毛以清除毛上的塵土和寄生蟲，但與人類最親近的靈長類動物，每天1/5的時間都用來互相梳理毛髮。通常，這是個有節奏的結合：能夠拔起廢墟的手指與輕柔揮動的手指相混合，輕柔時就像在撫摸彼此。

The main aim is not cleanliness but social bonding. Grooming partnerships between two females can last for years, and they spill over into other displays of loyalty. For example, the likelihood that a female gelada baboon will go to the rescue of another female who is attacked is related to the amount of time they have spent grooming one another.

主要的目的不是乾淨而是社會聯繫。兩個雌性動物爲對方梳理毛髮的關係可持續好幾年，這也會滲入到對其它方面的忠誠度。例如：一隻雌性狒狒去救另一隻遭遇襲擊的雌性狒狒的可能性就與它們互相梳毛的次數有關。

In humans the effect of touch is so strong that even a barely noticed touch can have a big effect on how we view another person. Well-controlled studies have shown that, for example, waitresses receive bigger tips after "accidentally" touching a customer while returning their change, and students are more likely to volunteer answers if a teacher briefly touches their arm. In children, too, touching is a powerful driver of behaviour - just like in the young of other species.

對於人類而言，觸摸的效應太強，即使是幾乎不被發現的觸碰都能對我們如何看待他人產生重大影響。對照研究表明，例如在還零錢時，女服務員"不小心"碰到了顧客，那麼她收到的小費就會比較豐厚；如果老師輕微觸碰了學生的肩膀，那學生就更可能主動回答問題。對於孩子們而言，觸摸也是一個十分有影響力的行爲驅動--就像其它物種中的年輕生命一樣。