How to Feel

We are out of touch. Many people fear that we are trapped inside our screens, becoming less in tune with our bodies and losing our connection to the physical world. But the sense of touch has been undervalued since long before the days of digital isolation. Because of deeply rooted beliefs that favor the cerebral over the corporeal, touch is maligned as dirty or sentimental, in contrast with supposedly more elevated modes of perceiving the world.How to Feel explores the scientific, physical, emotional, and cultural aspects of touch, reconnecting us to what is arguably our most important sense. Sushma Subramanian introduces readers to the scientists whose groundbreaking research is underscoring the role of touch in our lives. Through vivid individual stories—a man who lost his sense of touch in his late teens, a woman who experiences touch-emotion synesthesia, her own efforts to become less touch averse—Subramanian explains the science of the somatosensory system and our philosophical beliefs about it. She visits labs that are shaping the textures of objects we use every day, from cereal to synthetic fabrics. The book highlights the growing field of haptics, which is trying to incorporate tactile interactions into devices such as phones that touch us back and prosthetic limbs that can feel. How to Feel offers a new appreciation for a vital but misunderstood sense and how we can use it to live more fully.

A fascinating look at one of the most mysterious senses. A great read for anyone who has ever wondered why you feel the way you feel, literally., In this addictively readable book, Sushma Subramanian explores our vital human sense of touch in terms of history, science, culture, family and most of all humanity. It's a story full of insight and surprise, told by a science writer with a poet's sense of language. Don't miss it., This book is a wonderful journey into the science of touch. Sushma Subramanian is a great writer who has deeply researched her subject, so the book offers the experience of discovering science with the ease of reading fiction., Subramanian brings an intensely personal narrative to the study of touch, with a breadth of coverage and a great balance for scientists and nonscientists alike., Of all the senses, touch continues to be the least understood because it has so many components that are difficult to isolate.’ [How to Feel: The Science and Meaning of Touch is a] useful introduction to the culture, mechanics, and consequences of touch.

Sushma Subramanian is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Mary Washington. Her writing has appeared in Slate, The Atlantic, New York, and Discover, among others.