Touch can help improve feelings of pain or depression, study suggests

Researchers found strong evidence of health benefits in adults who engaged in touch with other humans or objects – including robots and weighted blankets.

Touch can help improve feelings of pain or depression, the study found (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Physical touch, such as a hug or even the sensation of a weighted blanket, could help improve physical and mental health, new research has found.

Touch from both humans and animals can reduce pain, feelings of depression, and anxiety in adults and children, according to the study.