Overthe years I have been interested to read about studies into the power of tou-组卷网

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Over the years I have been interested to read about studies into the power of touch. A study found that holding hands to comfort a loved one can actually reduce their pain. Through a process that’s not fully understood, if one of them is in pain, the pain appears to reduce.

I’ve seen this so many times when the husband or wife of a patient in discomfort reaches out and holds their hand, and as if by magic, in a few minutes they become less painful. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, as we have known for many years about the importance of touch. It symbolizes safety and love.

The value of touch was proved by a series of experiments on monkeys back in the 1950s by Harry Harlow, an American scientist. His work showed the unbelievable drive for warmth and intimacy (亲密) that we all have. In his experiments, he gave young monkeys a choice between a “mother” made of wire mesh (铁丝网) that had a ready supply of milk and the other a warm, soft mother that did not provide any food. They chose, to everyone’s surprise, the comfort over food. This was unexpected because it had always been thought that food was the main motivator (动力) for living creatures. Yet this appeared to show that it was not food, but being comforted and intimate, that was the most important thing. He described these experiments as a study of love and they showed for the first time how important the feeling of being loved is to us. And his idea has been supported by countless further scientific studies.

Personally I find this so comforting. For me, this really speaks of the power of love.

【小题1】According to the writer and studies, ________.