"Reach out," the old jingled implored. "Reach out and touch someone." That was the 1980s, and the metaphor of physical touch helped humanize the still-nascent technology of long-distance phone calls.

Have you ever been chatting online and gotten all sad and distant and wish your chat buddy could hug you? Or wanted to feel someone’s heart race with rage via the internet? Well, intrepid science ...

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The isolation of quarantine has shone a blistering light on the importance of physical connections. Though sexual experiences have dominated the conversation, especially with separated couples seeking ...

Russell Stover's campaign on TikTok is an extension of a digital effort that urged people to send each other "virtual hugs" as the coronavirus pandemic dissuades physical contact. By enlisting an ...

Facebook reactions launched as a way to quickly respond when a like just didn’t suffice — and now the platform’s latest reaction is a way to send a virtual hug during social distancing. On Friday, ...

As it became clear that the outbreak of the novel coronavirus would limit human interaction, local illustrator and watercolor artist Amy Wike turned to art to process her feelings. “Before enough time ...

CINCINNATI — Paula Bussard knows a lot of people are stuck at home feeling helpless these days during the COVID-19 crisis while doctors, nurses and first responders are working extra shifts to help as ...

The internet is capable of providing us with instant connection to total strangers. At one point, in the heady tech-utopian 1990s, this extraordinary feature seemed like it might finally be the key to ...