Sunday, March 26, 2006

Which of Your Five Senses is Most Important?

From Creation Moments

Which sense could be lost with the least threat to your life? Most people consider their sense of sight the most important. While the loss of sight is a terrible tragedy, life can go on. Lose your sense of smell and food will be flavorless, but you can get by. Loss of hearing, too, is a great loss, but the loss can be adjusted to. And few people's lives are threatened by the loss of the sense of taste.

However, if you lose your sense of touch, you lose your sense of pain and therefore any warning that you might be injuring yourself. Unfortunately there are people who have no sense of touch. Sometimes they receive life-threatening injuries because they cannot feel pain.

Science has shown that touching is necessary for life. Newborn animals that are licked by their mothers have a higher resistance to disease. They are also more likely to live to adulthood than newborns who are untouched by their mothers.

Chihuahua pups have a notoriously high rate of death because their mothers are often unwilling to lick them. Lambs will die after birth if their mothers do not lick and nuzzle them. Even human infants who are not lovingly touched enough will suffer from depression, poor sleep, weight loss, poor immunity and, in extreme cases, even death.

References: McCutcheon, M. 1989. The Compass in Your Nose . . .. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher. p. 112.

Source: Creation Moments


Anonymous said...

where are the five senses controlled

Donna Watkins said...

This slide show on the brain and 5 senses may give you some information. The 5 senses are detailed closer to the end, but the information before gives you a great overview of the brain functions. Brain and Five Senses

Sakari Peltola said...

The loss of smell makes your life terribly meaningless and vague. Smell is after all connected straight to your limbic system which has been giving you information about your existence with emotions for about 150 millions years... Of course if you prefer to live like a reptilian... then maybe your eyesight or hearing...? But in my opinion the senses of touch and smell are the most important when you consider your life as a human being.

Anonymous said...

An interesting question. Made me think for 10 minutes before writing this. I love all senses. They're all very important. However, for me, hearing is the utmost important. I listen and I learn, understand and obey.

An unfortunate person with no senses at all but hearing, may benefit more than other unfortunate people that are not deaf, in a lot of circumstances.

Anonymous said...

which sense is most important when having to survive in the middle of the wilderness with no help whatsoever, or any form of cumunication which someone, or no contact with the world?

Anonymous said...

can you name the benefits, if you want of coarse

Anonymous said...

Touch is most important because all 5 senses are the sense of touch. Sight is the tissues in your eye being touched by light. Hearing is tissues in your ear being touched by vibrating air. Taste is the tissues on your tongue being touched by the chemical blend that is food and drink. Smell is tissues in your nose being touched by a chemical blend in the air. And touch of course is the tissue that is your skin being touched by anything.

Lehana said...

Each sense is equally important based on the individual's geographic location and circumstances. We are created with all five senses, hence, each is pivotal to perform efficiently.The deprivation of any of these affects the individual. Nevertheless, humans are capable of adapting, as such - to lose one sense is to heighten another.