Why Physical Touch Will Be Our Greatest Value in the AI Age ✨

People say we get 80% of our information from our eyes, but I believe the skin is actually our greatest sensor.

Think of bats using sonar or dolphins using echolocation. Humans developed skin as the ultimate radar.

Our skin doesn't just feel temperature, humidity, and pain. Research by companies like Shiseido and Fancl shows that skin can actually "smell."

It also senses air vibrations like wind and sound. It can even feel super high frequencies that our ears cannot hear (the hypersonic effect)! That is why we love live music.

In short, the skin instantly measures "smell, sound, temperature, humidity, and pressure." It processes more information at once than our eyes do to help us judge people and feel safety or danger.

What is crazy about human skin compared to other animals is that we have almost no fur. Our whole body is exposed.

Humans are the only ones with such a highly sensitive sensor completely bare. In biology, people say, "the skin is the exposed brain."

Dr. Uvnäs-Moberg from Sweden is famous for her research on oxytocin. Her work shows that when we are touched by someone we trust, our brain overflows with happy chemicals.

We get "oxytocin" to deepen bonds, "serotonin" to calm the mind, "beta-endorphin" for deep happiness, and "dopamine" for pure pleasure.

Today, we can get "easy dopamine" from smartphones or alcohol. But that tires the brain and causes addiction.

On the other hand, dopamine from physical touch comes with relaxation hormones. So, it brings a healthy, lasting happiness without breaking our mind or body.

For example, humans spend more than 30 minutes on sex. From the viewpoint of other animals who only do it to reproduce, this is crazy lol.

But whether it is sex, patting someone’s head, or holding hands, humans spend a lot of time on physical touch for "pair-bonding" (forming deep bonds).

By forming these strong bonds, humans were able to organize large groups of up to 150 people (Dunbar's number) and became the masters of the earth.

Science shows that humans are creatures that feel happiness and connect through the skin.

Now, with AI and robotics, we are entering an era where we can live without touching each other physically.

"Touch hunger" is already happening. In the future, it might push more people into dangerous addictions.

So, when we think about happiness in the near future—where jobs, money, and academic backgrounds may lose their value—we cannot ignore the importance of physical touch.

It might sound like I am just promoting my own business, but I truly believe that in a world where everything else is abundant, our happiness will depend on the amount of physical touch that releases happy hormones.

To put it simply: "human relationships with good touch will become the new wealth."

As I mentioned, human skin is too complex to recreate artificially. No matter what the future looks like, the sense of safety from skin warmth will never change.

I hope my spa can be a place that helps people return to this true human happiness.