High-Five Research

"Dacher Keltner, Ph.D., of the University of California, Berkeley, author of Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life, discovered that athletes who frequently give each other a high five or a "good job!" pat during games do better in team sports than the ones who don't physically interact. While the flying chest bumps that pro athletes share are probably not part of your work environment, you can practice what Keltner calls 'smart touch: encouraging pats on the back, friendly handshakes, and playful fist bumps.'"

"Your skin is your body's largest organ, and when its sensory receptors are stimulated, the hormone oxytocin — the one that makes you feel good — is released. At the same time, cortisol, the stress hormone, is reduced. In a world where so much of our interaction is virtual — Facebook, e-mails, texts — physical contact is more precious than ever."
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/advice/a18235/health-benefits-of-touch/


"But in recent years some researchers have begun to focus on a different, often more subtle kind of wordless communication: physical contact. Momentary touches, they say — whether an exuberant high five, a warm hand on the shoulder, or a creepy touch to the arm — can communicate an even wider range of emotion than gestures or expressions, and sometimes do so more quickly and accurately than words."

"If a high five or an equivalent can in fact enhance performance, on the field or in the office, that may be because it reduces stress. A warm touch seems to set off the release of oxytocin, a hormone that helps create a sensation of trust, and to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol."

"In the brain, prefrontal areas, which help regulate emotion, can relax, freeing them for another of their primary purposes: problem solving. In effect, the body interprets a supportive touch as 'I’ll share the load.'"

"'We think that humans build relationships precisely for this reason, to distribute problem solving across brains,' said James A. Coan, a a psychologist at the University of Virginia. 'We are wired to literally share the processing load, and this is the signal we’re getting when we receive support through touch.'"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/health/23mind.html?_r=0


"Moreover, gestural praise (thumbs up or high five) may be the optimal form of praise—as demonstrated by children’s increased persistence and positive feelings about themselves and their work."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4145712/


You Smile - I Smile: Emotion Expression In Social Interaction

http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.massey.ac.nz/science/article/pii/S0301051109002270