They were less subject to stress. It is well known that infants need tender touch. Chapin and Knox and J. Brennemann studied American babies in institutions between 1910 and 1935. They found that many babies became disturbed - and their physical and emotional development was slow when they received little tactile stimulation. Physiologically, touch supports the flow of blood and lymph.
Touch can decrease blood pressure and heart rate.
Touch can soothe nerves and enhance relaxation. Enkephalin, an endorphin, produces euphoria while reducing pain. Psychologically, healing touch affirms self-esteem, creates trust and openness, and may catalyze the release of blocked emotions as tense muscles relax. Touch can help us feel valued, peaceful, and more aware of our body and being. There is pleasure in giving, as receiving, bodywork.