Helena Hartmann
Papers
2
Total Citations
105
H-Index
2
About
Helena Hartmann is a leading researcher in the psychobiology of human touch, whose work has fundamentally advanced our understanding of how physical contact promotes mental and physical well-being. Her major contributions center on large-scale, rigorous meta-analyses that synthesize decades of diverse experimental data. In her landmark 2024 systematic review and multivariate meta-analysis—which has already garnered 97 citations—she analyzed 137 studies to quantify the broad health benefits of touch interventions, identifying key moderators such as touch type, duration, and recipient demographics. This work, alongside her 2023 comparative analysis, has provided the most comprehensive evidence to date that touch reduces pain, anxiety, and depression while boosting immune function and social bonding. Hartmann’s research is notable for its methodological rigor, including pre-registration (PROSPERO: CRD42022304281), and for bridging gaps between clinical, developmental, and social neuroscience. Her findings have profound implications for healthcare, from neonatal care to geriatric medicine, and for designing effective, low-cost interventions. By transforming a diffuse literature into actionable insights, Hartmann has established herself as a pivotal figure in evidence-based touch research, shaping both future scientific inquiry and practical applications for human health.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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