Loneliness is increasing, as are its related negative health outcomes: Inflammation, high blood pressure, immunodeficiency, and cortisol, in addition to depression, anxiety, anger, and social isolation. Missing from the discussion is our lack of human touch. In the era of #metoo, we have made human touch suspect and off limits. What don’t we understand about human touch? Do we know how to access it? How can we have both individual boundaries and a touch-rich environment? We’ll explore the historical and current cultural context for our lack of touch, look at some possible solutions, and provide participants a rare opportunity at SXSW to get out of their heads and into their bodies by sharing simple human touch with other participants.

Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.