When Touch is measured

I recently read a post by a man called Bryan Johnson that stayed with me and continued to unfold in the days after.

Bryan Johnson is known for his wish to slow down and even reverse ageing. He lives a very precise and carefully designed life, working with a team of scientists and doctors and measuring almost everything in his body: brain activity, hormones, sleep, inflammation, heart rhythm, and nervous system responses. His days are structured and intentional, all in service of longevity.

In this particular post, he writes about an intimate moment.

He begins by describing the time spent away from his girlfriend, and how her absence was felt for him emotionally and physically. He notices anticipation building as the moment of reunion approaches and writes about the subtle tension of waiting, about how his body responds.

As he waits for her to arrive, he describes how his system shifts, how excitement builds, how his senses sharpen and how his body prepares for closeness even before she is there.

When they finally meet, he describes how touch quiets the thinking mind, how “executive control surrenders,” how stress hormones lower and oxytocin is released. He notices breath slowing, heart rhythm changing, goosebumps appearing and the nervous system settling into a feeling of safety as they come close and remain there.

Reading his words, I was genuinely fascinated. There is something grounding about seeing touch described so clearly, about watching science name what the body does when it feels closeness, safety and affection. It echoed something I experience often: that the body knows before we explain and that it responds to safety and physical and emotional connection in very real ways.

When the nervous system feels safe, the whole body begins to organise itself differently- breath, hormones, digestion, immunity, even sleep.

What this post also gave me was reassurance- that sharing about intimacy is needed, and that perhaps the world is more open to these conversations than we sometimes think. Intimacy is still a taboo subject, and for some it can feel uncomfortable to read about it, as I noticed in the comments from his post. Speaking from direct intimate experience can stir tenderness, longing, resistance, shame or misunderstanding.

And yet, when intimacy is shared honestly, it has the power to remind us that these moments are part of being human.

I’m deeply grateful that Bryan Johnson chose to share his experience with the world. In his own way, it reassured me that there is space for these conversations and that speaking openly about connection, touch and eros has a place in our collective language.

If you’re curious, you can read Bryan’s full post here:

https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxArvE0tXEoaotX6t8TnBWqjjUUtyBTFYF

Love,

Rosie x