"Platonic human touch releases oxytocin (chemicals in your brain), which is why touch therapy and professional cuddling has been so successful. Oxytocin has a major role in lowering blood pressure, lowering stress levels, ..."
This is something I can easily believe.
Story time.
Last year I went to a brothel in Germany for the first time. This is a form of prostitution I hadn't tried before, and the main difference with what I used to know is that you get to hang out with the prostitutes while you make your choice. It's basically a discotheque where all the girls are whores. So shortly after I arrived, I was seated comfortably on a sofa, looking at the girls. I saw one that I liked, so I waved at her and invited her to seat next to me. She did, and I took her in my arm, on my side.
What I want to say is this : this simple contact, this desirable woman snuggling up against my body, it immediately calmed me in a way that is hard to describe. I'm convinced it was because of that oxytocin release they're talking about. It didn't last long, after a few seconds holding her felt at best normal, at worst slightly awkward, but in the first few seconds it really felt like I was recharging something that was missing in my body and mind.
I don't think this is enough. I mean it felt good but it wasn't like something overwhelming or anything. Like I wouldn't pay just for that, but I think it's definitely something that we need, something that simply makes you feel better. We can live during years without it, and we're proof of that, but yeah, that oxytocin thing is legit IMHO.