This is another Covid misdeed: in 2021, an American spent an average of only 2h45 per week with close friends, a drop of more than 50% in ten years, according to the federal American Time Use Survey. Our sociability has been eroded by the rise of smartphones and digital tools from 2007, then by the pandemic since 2021. And between video conferences, Netflix series and wandering on social networks, we spend more and more time in front of screens. "We are in a virtual civilization, where physical contact has become rarer," summarizes clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist Céline Rivière in her book La Câlinotherapie (Michalon editions, 2019).
Read the dossierOur daily psychology advice
However, the health restrictions of 2021 and 2022 have shown how the lack of touch (or "skin hunger") can have negative consequences for our psyche: increased stress, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, even depression. The absence...
This article is for subscribers only. You still have 79% to discover.
Want to read more?
Unblock all items immediately.
TEST FOR 0,99€
Already a subscriber? Log