For many people, the thing they’ve missed most during the pandemic is being able to hug loved ones. Indeed, it wasn’t until we lost our ability to hug friends and family that many realize just how important touch is for many aspects of our health—including our mental health. The reason hugs feel so good has to do with our sense of touch. It’s an extremely important sense, which allows us not only to physically explore the world around us, but also to communicate with others by creating and maintaining social bonds. Touch consists of two distinct systems. The first is “fast touch,” a system of nerves that allows us to rapidly detect contact—if a fly lands on your nose, or you touch something hot, for example. The second system is “slow touch.” This is a population of recently discovered nerves, called c-tactile afferents, which process the emotional meaning of touch. …