
How to Feel
The Science and Meaning of Touch
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $17.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Donna Postel
About this listen
We are out of touch. Many people fear that we are trapped inside our screens, becoming less in tune with our bodies and losing our connection to the physical world. But the sense of touch has been undervalued since long before the days of digital isolation. Because of deeply rooted beliefs that favor the cerebral over the corporeal, touch is maligned as dirty or sentimental, in contrast with supposedly more elevated modes of perceiving the world.
How to Feel explores the scientific, physical, emotional, and cultural aspects of touch, reconnecting us to what is arguably our most important sense. Sushma Subramanian introduces listeners to the scientists whose groundbreaking research is underscoring the role of touch in our lives. Through vivid individual stories - a man who lost his sense of touch in his late teens, a woman who experiences touch-emotion synesthesia, her own efforts to become less touch averse - Subramanian explains the science of the somatosensory system and our philosophical beliefs about it. The book highlights the growing field of haptics, which is trying to incorporate tactile interactions into devices such as phones that touch us back and prosthetic limbs that can feel. How to Feel offers a new appreciation for a vital but misunderstood sense and how we can use it to live more fully.
©2021 Sushma Subramanian (P)2021 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
What Happened to You?
- Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
- By: Oprah Winfrey, Bruce D. Perry
- Narrated by: Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever wondered "Why did I do that?" or "Why can't I just control my behavior?" Others may judge our reactions and think, "What's wrong with that person?" When questioning our emotions, it's easy to place the blame on ourselves; holding ourselves and those around us to an impossible standard. It's time we started asking a different question. Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”
-
-
I waited more than 30 years for this book.
- By Gary S. on 04-28-21
By: Oprah Winfrey, and others
-
How to Analyze People
- Speed-Read People’s Body Language, Detect Lies Instantly, and Influence People with Nonverbal Communication Tricks
- By: Conrad Harmon
- Narrated by: Grant Pennington
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Did you know you're always missing out on half of the conversation? Scientists have proven that words only make up seven percent of face-to-face communication. The tone of your voice, the speed and rhythm of your speech, and the pauses you make between words account for 38 percent. Fifty-five percent of face-to-face communication is body language. If you're not paying close attention to body language, you're literally ignoring more than half of all the information that's being exchanged between you and the person you're talking to.
By: Conrad Harmon
-
Come As You Are: Revised and Updated
- The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life
- By: Emily Nagoski PhD
- Narrated by: Emily Nagoski, Nicholas Boulton
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For much of the 20th and 21st centuries, women’s sexuality was an uncharted territory in science, studied far less frequently - and far less seriously - than its male counterpart. That is, until Emily Nagoski’s Come As You Are, which used groundbreaking science and research to prove that the most important factor in creating and sustaining a sex life filled with confidence and joy is not what the parts are or how they’re organized but how you feel about them.
-
-
Usless!!!
- By tammy on 03-04-21
-
Unmasking Autism
- Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity
- By: Devon Price PhD
- Narrated by: Devon Price PhD
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Unmasking Autism, Dr. Devon Price shares their personal experience with masking and blends history, social science research, prescriptions, and personal profiles to tell a story of neurodivergence that has thus far been dominated by those on the outside looking in. For Dr. Price and many others, Autism is a deep source of uniqueness and beauty. Unfortunately, living in a neurotypical world means it can also be a source of incredible alienation and pain.
-
-
Disappointing
- By Debra M. Givin on 11-12-22
By: Devon Price PhD
-
The Brain That Changes Itself
- Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science
- By: Norman Doidge M.D.
- Narrated by: Jim Bond
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Norman Doidge, MD, traveled the country to meet both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've transformed - people whose mental limitations or brain damage were seen as unalterable.
-
-
***MIND BLOWN***
- By Laura Elsasser on 04-04-21
-
Burnout
- The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
- By: Emily Nagoski PhD, Amelia Nagoski DMA
- Narrated by: Emily Nagoski PhD, Amelia Nagoski DMA
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Burnout. Many women in America have experienced it. What’s expected of women and what it’s really like to be a woman in today’s world are two very different things - and women exhaust themselves trying to close the gap between them. Sisters Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA, are here to help end the cycle of feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Instead of asking us to ignore the very real obstacles and societal pressures that stand between women and well-being, they explain with compassion and optimism what we’re up against - and teach us how to fight back.
-
-
Solid Book with a Single Exception
- By Kris on 08-22-19
By: Emily Nagoski PhD, and others
-
What Happened to You?
- Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
- By: Oprah Winfrey, Bruce D. Perry
- Narrated by: Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever wondered "Why did I do that?" or "Why can't I just control my behavior?" Others may judge our reactions and think, "What's wrong with that person?" When questioning our emotions, it's easy to place the blame on ourselves; holding ourselves and those around us to an impossible standard. It's time we started asking a different question. Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”
-
-
I waited more than 30 years for this book.
- By Gary S. on 04-28-21
By: Oprah Winfrey, and others
-
How to Analyze People
- Speed-Read People’s Body Language, Detect Lies Instantly, and Influence People with Nonverbal Communication Tricks
- By: Conrad Harmon
- Narrated by: Grant Pennington
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Did you know you're always missing out on half of the conversation? Scientists have proven that words only make up seven percent of face-to-face communication. The tone of your voice, the speed and rhythm of your speech, and the pauses you make between words account for 38 percent. Fifty-five percent of face-to-face communication is body language. If you're not paying close attention to body language, you're literally ignoring more than half of all the information that's being exchanged between you and the person you're talking to.
By: Conrad Harmon
-
Come As You Are: Revised and Updated
- The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life
- By: Emily Nagoski PhD
- Narrated by: Emily Nagoski, Nicholas Boulton
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For much of the 20th and 21st centuries, women’s sexuality was an uncharted territory in science, studied far less frequently - and far less seriously - than its male counterpart. That is, until Emily Nagoski’s Come As You Are, which used groundbreaking science and research to prove that the most important factor in creating and sustaining a sex life filled with confidence and joy is not what the parts are or how they’re organized but how you feel about them.
-
-
Usless!!!
- By tammy on 03-04-21
-
Unmasking Autism
- Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity
- By: Devon Price PhD
- Narrated by: Devon Price PhD
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Unmasking Autism, Dr. Devon Price shares their personal experience with masking and blends history, social science research, prescriptions, and personal profiles to tell a story of neurodivergence that has thus far been dominated by those on the outside looking in. For Dr. Price and many others, Autism is a deep source of uniqueness and beauty. Unfortunately, living in a neurotypical world means it can also be a source of incredible alienation and pain.
-
-
Disappointing
- By Debra M. Givin on 11-12-22
By: Devon Price PhD
-
The Brain That Changes Itself
- Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science
- By: Norman Doidge M.D.
- Narrated by: Jim Bond
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Norman Doidge, MD, traveled the country to meet both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've transformed - people whose mental limitations or brain damage were seen as unalterable.
-
-
***MIND BLOWN***
- By Laura Elsasser on 04-04-21
-
Burnout
- The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
- By: Emily Nagoski PhD, Amelia Nagoski DMA
- Narrated by: Emily Nagoski PhD, Amelia Nagoski DMA
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Burnout. Many women in America have experienced it. What’s expected of women and what it’s really like to be a woman in today’s world are two very different things - and women exhaust themselves trying to close the gap between them. Sisters Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA, are here to help end the cycle of feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Instead of asking us to ignore the very real obstacles and societal pressures that stand between women and well-being, they explain with compassion and optimism what we’re up against - and teach us how to fight back.
-
-
Solid Book with a Single Exception
- By Kris on 08-22-19
By: Emily Nagoski PhD, and others
-
Chatter
- The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It
- By: Ethan Kross
- Narrated by: Ethan Kross
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tell a stranger that you talk to yourself, and you’re likely to get written off as eccentric. But the truth is that we all have a voice in our head. When we talk to ourselves, we often hope to tap into our inner coach but find our inner critic instead. When we’re facing a tough task, our inner coach can buoy us up: Focus - you can do this. But, just as often, our inner critic sinks us entirely: I’m going to fail. They’ll all laugh at me. What’s the use?
-
-
Chatter is Great
- By Mark on 02-13-21
By: Ethan Kross
-
Brainstorm
- The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain
- By: Daniel J. Siegel M.D.
- Narrated by: Daniel J. Siegel M.D.
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Between the ages of twelve and twenty-four, the brain changes in important and, at times, challenging ways. In Brainstorm, the renowned psychiatrist and bestselling author of Parenting from the Inside Out, The Whole-Brain Child, and Mindsight, Daniel Siegel busts a number of commonly held myths about adolescence — for example, that it is merely a stage of “immaturity” filled with often “crazy” behavior — to reveal how it is in fact a vital time in our lives in terms of charting the course for the adults we ultimately become.
-
-
Narration for kindergarteners...
- By Kalutha on 03-28-14
-
My Stroke of Insight
- By: Jill Bolte Taylor
- Narrated by: Jill Bolte Taylor
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor shares her unique perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery, and the sense of omniscient understanding she gained from this unusual and inspiring voyage out of the abyss of a wounded brain. It would take eight years for Taylor to heal completely. Because of her knowledge of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and most of all an amazing mother, Taylor completely repaired her mind and recalibrated her understanding of the world.
-
-
Excellent description of stroke experience
- By Polyhymnia on 09-26-09
-
A Liberated Mind
- How to Pivot Toward What Matters
- By: Steven C. Hayes PhD
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins, Steven C. Hayes PhD
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this landmark audiobook, the originator and pioneering researcher into Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) lays out the psychological flexibility skills that make it one of the most powerful approaches research has yet to offer. These skills have been shown to help even where other approaches have failed. Science shows that they are useful in virtually every area - mental health, physical health, social processes, and performance.
-
-
Disappointing. A 14 hour long defense of ACT.
- By Mats M on 02-06-20
-
Livewired
- The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain
- By: David Eagleman
- Narrated by: David Eagleman
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The answers to these questions are right behind our eyes. The greatest technology we have ever discovered on our planet is the three-pound organ carried in the vault of the skull. This book is not simply about what the brain is; it is about what it does. The magic of the brain is not found in the parts it’s made of but in the way those parts unceasingly reweave themselves in an electric, living fabric.
-
-
Very interesting but the book shpold have had
- By Adi on 12-05-20
By: David Eagleman
-
Social Intelligence
- The New Science of Human Relationships
- By: Daniel Goleman
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In richly anecdotal detail, Goleman brings to life the field of social neuroscience that has emerged in the decade since the publication of Emotional Intelligence. He shows that, far more than we are consciously aware, our daily encounters with parents, spouses, bosses, and even strangers shape our brains and affect cells throughout our bodies. Our relationships create a setpoint for our daily moods and influence our immune response; they are crucial to achievement in students and workers; they determine whether or not some genes are expressed, for good or ill.
-
-
Don’t torture yourself
- By Steve on 08-26-07
By: Daniel Goleman
-
The Social Animal
- The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement
- By: David Brooks
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With unequaled insight and brio, David Brooks, the New York Times columnist and bestselling author of Bobos in Paradise, has long explored and explained the way we live. Now, with the intellectual curiosity and emotional wisdom that make his columns among the most read in the nation, Brooks turns to the building blocks of human flourishing in a multilayered, profoundly illuminating work grounded in everyday life.
-
-
Finally!
- By Pamela Harvey on 03-13-11
By: David Brooks
-
Divergent Mind
- Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed For You
- By: Jenara Nerenberg
- Narrated by: Tegan Ashton Cohan
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A paradigm-shifting study of neurodivergent women - those with ADHD, autism, synesthesia, high sensitivity, and sensory processing disorder - exploring why these traits are overlooked in women and how society benefits from allowing their unique strengths to flourish.
-
-
Provided no insight
- By Somebody on 06-24-20
By: Jenara Nerenberg
-
Code to Joy
- The Four-Step Solution to Unlocking Your Natural State of Happiness
- By: George Pratt PhD, Peter Lambrou PhD, John David Mann - contributor
- Narrated by: Daniel Henning
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Combining six decades of clinical experience with cutting-edge research, two acclaimed leaders in the field of psychology have developed a revolutionary approach to happiness - one that's accessible and practical enough to apply at home, yet powerful enough to create a profoundly positive transformation in our lives.
-
-
Very interesting book!
- By Anonymous User on 02-26-25
By: George Pratt PhD, and others
-
The Wisdom of Your Body
- Finding Healing, Wholeness, and Connection Through Embodied Living
- By: Hillary L. McBride PhD
- Narrated by: Emily Ellet
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Wisdom of Your Body offers a compassionate, healthy, and holistic perspective on embodied living. Weaving together illuminating research, stories from her work as a therapist, and deeply personal narratives of healing from a life-threatening eating disorder, a near-fatal car accident, and chronic pain, McBride invites us to reclaim the wisdom of the body and to experience the wholeness that has been there all along.
-
-
Woke garbage
- By Amazon Customer on 09-28-22
-
The Wild Woman's Way
- By: Michaela Boehm
- Narrated by: Michaela Boehm
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For women today, achieving a successful career, a fulfilling romantic relationship, and a rewarding personal life can feel like opposing goals, leaving their deepest yearnings just beyond reach. It has even become difficult to enjoy the simplest pleasures of our lives. We are stuck in “go mode", damaging our romantic relationships, pleasure, and creativity. But what if there were a way to experience the simplest pleasures of our lives on a deeper level, freeing the body and psyche from these damaging patterns?
-
-
Not just for women
- By ironjc on 08-24-18
By: Michaela Boehm
-
Play
- How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul
- By: Stuart Brown, Christopher Vaughan MD
- Narrated by: Michael Hinton
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We've all seen the happiness on the face of a child while playing in the school yard. Or the blissful abandon of a golden retriever racing across a lawn. This is the joy of play. By definition, play is purposeless, all-consuming, and fun. But as Dr. Stuart Brown illustrates, play is anything but trivial. It is a biological drive as integral to our health as sleep or nutrition. We are designed by nature to flourish through play.
-
-
Message and content great, professional reader too serious for a book called Play!
- By Sara B aka Mommy on 10-26-17
By: Stuart Brown, and others