Touching -- even a light, almost subliminal touch -- seems to improve human relations. In a Boston experiment designed to quantify the effect of touch, a researcher left money in a phone booth and returned after watching someone pocket the money. The researcher then casually asked the person if she had found what she lost. Part of the experiment involved touching some of the subjects when the researcher asked for help. The touch was described as insignificant, so that the person didn't remember it afterward.
The likelihood of the money being returned rose from 63 percent to 96 percent when the subject was touched. The experiment is described by author Diane Ackerman in her book, A Natural History of the Senses.
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