The Shift in Your Moodscape from Touching Wood

Touching wood feels good, right? Touching natural wood feels best, followed by a plant oil finish (flax or perilla seed oil), with mirror finish — the high-gloss, piano-style lacquer — being the least pleasing physiologically, according to a study of 18 female university students. What I like about this study is that it captures a feeling I have had all my life when it comes to handling wood, especially my paddle. There's an interoceptive shift. Maybe you can feel it. Your prediction about the wood, what you get from touch in real time, how your temperature changes, maybe fragrance and myriad other factors combine to give you that 'ahhhh' feeling — or not.

Physiological Effects of Touching Coated Wood