Physical touch during early life appears to play a key role in moral development

Beth Ellwood, ‘Physical touch during early life appears to play a key role in moral development, according to new research’, https://www.psypost.org/2021/07/physical-touch-during-early-life-appears-to-play-a-key-role-in-moral-development-according-to-new-psychology-research-61548, PsyPost (July 19, 2021)

Researchers found that an absence of negative touch, compared to the provision of positive touch, had a greater impact on children’s prosocial and problematic behavior. (…) Positive touch behaviors seemed to have a stronger impact on a child’s behavioral regulation. (…) The findings (…) suggest that experiences with touch in early life may shape adult capacities for getting along with others and the type of ethical orientation they bring to social relationships.

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The importance of early life touch for psychosocial and moral development”, by Darcia Narvaez, Lijuan Wang, Alison Cheng, Tracy R. Gleason, Ryan Woodbury, Angela Kurth, and Jennifer Burke Lefever.