Papers
2
Total Citations
87
H-Index
2
About
Johanna Bendas is a leading researcher in the neurobiology of affective touch, with a focus on the role of hair follicles in tactile perception. Her work bridges sensory neuroscience and psychology, exploring how unmyelinated C-tactile (CT) fibers—which respond optimally to slow, gentle stroking—mediate the pleasant, emotional aspects of touch. In her most cited study (58 citations), Bendas investigated the relationship between human hair follicle density and touch perception, testing whether CT fibers are anchored around follicles as in rodent skin, thereby influencing tactile sensitivity and pleasure. Her second major paper (29 citations) established that the individual preferred velocity for stroking touch is a stable, reproducible measurement, offering a reliable metric for studying affective touch across populations. These contributions have deepened understanding of how the skin’s structure shapes social bonding and emotional well-being through touch. Bendas’s work is influential in fields from dermatology to affective neuroscience, and her findings on hair follicle-touch interactions have implications for designing haptic technologies and therapeutic interventions for touch-related disorders.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1The relation between human hair follicle density and touch perception58 citations · 2017
- 2The individual preferred velocity of stroking touch as a stable measurement29 citations · 2017