Have you ever wondered how often you touch your face every day? Research from a German psychologist at the Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, says it is an average of 50 times an hour – or up to 800 times a day.
Some of these touches, says Julian Packheiser, serve a practical purpose, such as to fix your hairstyle or rub tired eyes. But most are done for no apparent reason.
Packheiser is conducting research into the health effects of touch and made his findings public in the German magazine Spektrum Psychologie.
He explains that unconscious facial touching could serve an important function. “According to recent theories, unconscious facial touching serves to reduce stress and helps regulate our emotional balance.”
Touch in general is known to promote good health. It can alleviate anxiety, reduce sadness, lessen pain and even lower blood pressure.