Unlike the other senses, the receptors for touch are spread out over the entire body, and their functions differ greatly. Touch helps us in many ways, such as giving us the ability to judge how much pressure we apply to objects (like holding a cup of coffee). It also prevents us from harming ourselves (most of the time) but alerting us of tissue damage through pain. Without the sense of touch, a person would probably get sores from sitting or lying in a certain position for too long. They might also accidentally get burned by touching a hot surface and not knowing it. Touch is indeed a crucial element in self-preservation. We will discuss the specifics of touch on the following pages.

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