The strong effect of touch

Touching strangers can cause miracles. Waiters who touch their clients lightly when they order or pay get a lot more tips than waiters who keep at a distance. When you do something clumsy which bothers someone else, his or her annoyance will flow down when you touch the other person's arm while making your excuses.

Words can be beautiful and useful, sometimes a touch can do so much more. Somebody who experiences intense grief can feel himself safe for a moment in a intense hug. Somebody who is very happy feels by the big kiss of the other person how much it is granted to him or her. When a quarrel continues it can help to literally give the other person a hand. When words fail, don't hesitate to touch the other. In other cultures, e.g. in Latin-America it is much more usual to do so than in our Dutch culture. From the above-mentioned research papers we can learn that the effect of touch is universal. Dare we use this in the relationships with the people surrounding us?