“The Power of Touch” – <em>The New Yorker</em>, Maria Konnikova, March 2015

This article could have been written as an advertisement expounding the benefits of massage! Touch is the first of the senses to develop in the human infant, and it remains perhaps the most emotionally central throughout our lives. Numerous studies show that if we often experience friendly or loving caresses, “it’s safe to assume that we have a strong social network, which is itself one of the best predictors of happiness, health and longevity.”