The Power of Touch: Massage Therapy and Its Psychological Benefits

Psychology is all about people. It's the science of how we think, act and connect, and includes complex layers that make us who we are. In reality various theories and components of psychology are deeply woven in our very existence, whether we realize it or not.

     From the very beginning of life, touch is one of the very first things we experience and develop; it's our first connection the moment we enter into this world like skin to skin with our mother. Its effect runs deep and it's a gentle reminder that we are safe and all is okay. This alone can completely shift how we feel in the world overflowing with constant noise, bright lights and understanding the chaos around us. Touch is essential when we enter the world and should continue to play a vital role in our adult lives for mind-body maintenance, especially through massage therapy. 

     The skilled practice of pressure, movement and muscle manipulation is the heart beat of massage therapy. It goes far beyond the idea of luxury or just a way for people to be able to relax. It produces significant psychological benefits that can be further supported through key psychological theories like: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which highlight how basic human needs fulfills our deep human needs for safety, belonging and comfort and The Biopsychosocial Model which explains how assessing the biological, psychological and social impacts on health are deeply connected. Understanding the psychological effect of massage therapy touch shed light on its powerful role in mental health and emotional well-being.

     One way to perceive the psychological benefits of massage therapy is through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. According to Maslow(1943), 5 human needs drive human behavior, he proposed a theory about motivation that explains how humans have different levels of needs ranging from basic survival to emotional growth and fulfillment that are done in a predictable order or hierarchy. To go further, people’s physiological or what you could consider, innate needs, have to be satisfied first before they can focus on their higher level goals. Once those essentials are met and secure, they seek connection and self esteem through their social network to allow them to feel love and acceptance; to be apart of something larger than them, a sense of belonging like community. It is only then can they focus on self actualization or achieving their highest potential through individual growth. The foundation of the hierarchy that get build upon is basic human needs or physiological needs like: air, water, shelter, food, etc. Safety is the next level that has to do with personal security like wellbeing/health and stable environment. 

     The physiological and safety needs play the dominating role, in adolescence and adulthood. From birth, touch reassures us that we are safe, promotes relaxations for helping us build trust and enhancing the bond between mom and baby. As adults, massage can fulfill similar needs filling the gap as it allows the person to feel nurtured and supported. For example, mental health issues are on the rise for children in the U.S. Many recent students point to the benefits of using massage in addressing psychological issues in youth such as attention disorders, aggression, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorders. In a 2019 study, researchers found that excessively low dopamine levels were increased following one month of daily 20-minute massage (Field, 2019). This goes to show that touch, including massage is deeply connected to this level of human need. Psychologically people may feel lonely, anxious and disconnected. In essence, touch is essential and without it makes it harder for people to regulate.

     The tactile senses is one of the first humans develop. A recent study conducted by German researchers found that even a brief session of massage therapy can robustly reduce stress on a psychological and physiological level by activating the body’s parasympathetic nervous system or rest and digest system and increasing heart rate variability. This is a key indicator of how effectively the body can relax. The higher the heart rate variability the greater the parasympathetic nervous activity. The study measured how massage can significantly increase heart rate variability in just 10 minutes (Meier et al.,2020). Similarly, a 2024 systematic review looked at 34 studies to see if massage and other hands on therapies help with anxiety. It found that 83% of massage-focused studies reported showed a significant drop in anxiety intensity (West & Huzji, 2024). These findings are important to note because they provide a strong support for including massage therapy as a reliable and evidence based approach for managing things like stress and anxiety. Think about a new normal where your doctor writes a script for massage therapy instead of medication. 

     Massage therapy at the very least give you a special kind of awareness, reminding you of your sense of security in your own body. On a cellular level, there are lots of things going on that facilitates healing at the core mentally, physically and emotionally; even when we don’t fully realize the interconnected web. This is especially helpful for people experiencing anxiety, stress or trauma. Experiencing less stress, allows people to think clearly, build healthy relationship and promote emotional well being. All in all, creating positive human behavior, improving mental health and minimizing depression and self-isolation. Understanding it from this point of view allows a more progressive perspective. How can one possibly think about going about in the world when they are at war with themselves ? 

     Another theory to mention is The Biopsychosocial Model that was first conceptualized by George Engel in 1977 is a way of understanding health and human behavior by looking at how the biological, psychological and social factors all work together. Instead of seeing health on just the superficial level of the physical body, this model brings awareness to our thoughts, emotions and social connections and how it can greatly affect how we feel mentally and physically. For example, stress and anxiety can create muscle tension, pain and increase feelings of depression if chronic pain slows down their activities of daily living (Flament & Bayer, 2023). 

     Massage therapy fits into the biopsychosocial model because although the touch happens on the physical level of the body, it affects the mind and emotions as well. Massage relaxes the muscles and lowers cortisol levels. Physiologically it reduces anxiety, improve mood and promote sense of well-being. Even in adulthood, the caring interaction between the therapist and client can create trust and a social signal for safety, minimizing the stress and fear response. Stress for long periods of time diminishes the body function and put the body in survival mode and is counter productive to the Maslow’s theory of basic needs and safety. This connection is vital for human psychology because it shows how massage can help people manage stress, interact with others and handle daily challenges (a positive coping mechanism). In this way, massage can support the whole person, how people think and behave. Studies have shown that massage can improve mood and reduce depression in those living with chronic pain. A recent trial on women with chronic back pain experienced significant improvements in depressive symptoms and body image after receiving gentle slow massage stroke on their back, neck and arm (Baumgart & Lorenz, 2020). This further emphasizes why massage therapy can be deeply comforting on both physical and psychological level helping people feel more understood. When you think about it, there is a kid in every adult that probably just needs a hug. The lack of basic psychological and safety needs in childhood is carried with us until it is addressed. 

     Hence, psychology is one aspect of the interconnected multi-dimensional human body. For me, it's interesting to see how the science of the mind explains the profound impact of something so simple, yet so overlooked in a way to manage life. Massage therapy is a psychological phenomenon deeply connected to how our minds and bodies function. It demonstrates how something as simple as touch can carry noteworthy benefits from the moment we’re born. Through Maslow’s theory we see touch meets fundamental needs for safety and belonging and as we grow; and the biopsychosocial model helps us understand how mental health, physical health and social connection are all webbed together. Massage therapy is far from the cure for mental health but it is promising and valuable option. It offers relief beyond what allopathic medicine alone can ever provide, looking at the person as a whole

References

Baumgart, S. B.-E., Baumbach-Kraft, A., & Lorenz, J. (2020). Effect of psycho-regulatory massage therapy on pain and depression in women with chronic and/or somatoform back pain: A randomized controlled trial. Brain Sciences, 10(10), 721. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10100721 

Engel, G. L. (1977). The need for a new medical model: A challenge for biomedicine. Science, 196(4286), 129–136. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.847460 

Field, T. (2019). Pediatric massage therapy research: A narrative review. Children, 6(6), 78. https://doi.org/10.3390/children6060078 

Flament, F., Maudet, A., & Bayer‐Vanmoen, M. (2023). The objective and subjective impact of a daily self‐massage on visible signs of stress on the skin and emotional well‐being. International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 45(6), 761–768. https://doi.org/10.1111/ics.12884 

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346 

Meier, M., Unternaehrer, E., Dimitroff, S. J., Benz, A. B., Bentele, U. U., Schorpp, S. M., Wenzel, M., & Pruessner, J. C. (2020). Standardized massage interventions as protocols for the induction of psychophysiological relaxation in the laboratory: A block randomized, controlled trial. Scientific Reports, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-71173-w 

Moyer, C. A., Rounds, J., & Hannum, J. W. (2004). A meta-analysis of massage therapy research. Psychological Bulletin, 130(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.1.3 

Rapaport, M. H., Schettler, P. J., Larson, E. R., Carroll, D., Sharenko, M., Nettles, J., & Kinkead, B. (2018). Massage therapy for psychiatric disorders. Focus, 16(1), 24–31. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20170043 

West, K. L., & Huzij, T. (2024). A systematic review of manual therapy modalities and anxiety. Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, 124(11), 487–497. https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2024-..