Why does holding a hot drink make us like people more?

How can a soldier under fire not even notice he's been shot?

Touch is the most important sense we have. Without it, we cannot entirely feel pleasure or pain - we are less than human.

In fact, as David Linden demonstrates in the astonishing stories gathered here, touch is central to who we are - from choosing our partners to comforting us on our deathbeds.

Exploring the many surprising facts and myths about our sense of touch, Linden reveals how it defines us - and how, by understanding it, we can better know ourselves.