January 16, 2025, 8:56 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
We all do it – unconsciously, often, and to an astonishing extent: we touch our face up to 800 times a day. What is behind this everyday habit? Researchers explain why this touch is more than just an insignificant gesture, what it reveals about our inner self, and why it should sometimes not be suppressed.
People touch their faces around 50 times an hour – often without realizing it. These unconscious gestures serve to regulate stress and are an expression of inner motivations, according to scientists. However, they also harbor risks, such as the transmission of pathogens.
Overview
- Preferred Target of the Hands
- Haptics Researcher Explains Why We Touch Our Faces
- Touching Yourself and Others Lowers Cortisol Levels According to Study
- Reaching the Brain Quickly
- Expert Questions the Effectiveness of Measures to Prevent Face Touching
- Tip: Avoid Anything That Causes Stress and Pay Attention to Hygiene
- Sources
Preferred Target of the Hands
The preferred target of the hands is not the forehead or chin but, interestingly, the mouth, nose, and eyes – in other words, where the mucous membranes are not far away. Scientists see this as a serious problem because this is a real gateway for germs and pathogens.
Haptics Researcher Explains Why We Touch Our Faces
But why do our hands constantly move towards our faces? It is clear that even embryos in their mother’s womb touch their mouths with their fingers. This occurs more frequently if the mother experiences stress. It is possible that spontaneous self-touching has a calming effect.
Martin Grunwald, head of the haptics laboratory at the Paul Flechsing Institute for Brain Research at the University of Leipzig, agrees. The psychologist and haptics researcher has conducted two studies on facial touch.1,2 Self-touching is the organism’s attempt to restore a state of mental balance after or during a psychological irritation. In other words, people touch themselves in order to psychologically balance out a stressful situation.
Psychologist Julian Packheiser from Ruhr University Bochum is also researching this topic – and agrees with Grunwald. “According to recent theories, unconscious facial touching serves to reduce stress and helps to regulate the emotional balance,” the expert tells dpa. In addition to stress, facial touch can also alleviate anxiety, reduce sadness and pain – and even lower blood pressure!
Touching Yourself and Others Lowers Cortisol Levels According to Study
Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt found in a randomized controlled study in 2021 that both being touched by others and by oneself before a stressful situation had an effect on the stress level of the participants.3 Both those who were touched by others and those who touched themselves had a lower level of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood afterward than the third group of “untouched” participants.
It is true that the participants in the self-touching group did not always choose to touch their faces; some stroked their arms or placed their hands on their chests. Nevertheless, other research suggests that face touching is particularly common in stressful or cognitively demanding situations, Packheiser continues. “Although there is still little research on self-touching, such evidence suggests that touching one’s own face can alleviate stress,” says Packheiser.
Reaching the Brain Quickly
Joe Navarro, a former FBI behavioral analyst, explains in the magazine Psychology Today that the reasons for this preference lie in the anatomy of our bodies. Our faces are particularly rich in sensitive nerve endings that are directly connected to the brain. These nerves – particularly the fifth (trigeminal nerve) and the seventh cranial nerve (facial nerve) – allow touch on the face to reach the brain faster and more effectively than on other parts of the body.
A gentle stroke across the cheek or touching the lips sends calming signals to the brain at lightning speed. This immediate effect is crucial because we need relief quickly, especially in stressful moments. Touching your face calms the brain and helps to restore inner balance.
According to Navarro, it also gives others an indication of how someone is feeling inside, whether they are stressed or need support. “Therefore, if you notice your partner or colleague frequently touching their nose, it may be appropriate to inquire if everything is alright.,” advises Julian Packheiser.
Expert Questions the Effectiveness of Measures to Prevent Face Touching
Sometimes, it would be better not to touch your face. Keywords: pathogens, skin irritation, and pimples. “Actively avoiding touching your face to reduce infections requires mental effort,” write the Leipzig researchers. So, we have to do this consciously. However, this is easier said than done. If you need help to keep your hands off your face, you can find it on the internet. The website “donottouchyourface” emits a warning signal whenever you touch your face. This is how it works: you activate the camera on your computer or cell phone and first record a short video in which you do not touch your face – then you are asked to do the same by touching your face. Then, if the camera and speakers are enabled, a “No” will sound as soon as you touch your face.
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Tip: Avoid Anything That Causes Stress and Pay Attention to Hygiene
The dilemma is that trying to control the habit of “constantly touching your face” can itself cause stress. And then the fingers sometimes move more towards the face – a vicious circle. So the best advice is to avoid anything that causes stress – and wash your hands more often!