Massage: Quick Facts

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Massage as a therapy has been around for centuries. With a long history, there surely are a lot of narratives behind its molding. Furthermore, in this modern world where information is the newest currency of interest in people lives, there are many facts around the concept of massage awaiting to be uncovered. Below are quick facts about this intriguing therapy.

The term itself might mean “to knead”.

The word “massage” officially emerged from the French language during the 1800s. How it was passed into French is a bit murky though. One theory is that it was picked up though the Portuguese language during the Portuguese colonization of India of the 1700s.  If this theory is correct, then it’s rooted in the word “amassar”, meaning, “to knead”. Another theory, however, states that it may have been picked up from the Arabic language during Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt. If this theory is correct, then it’s rooted in the word “massa”, meaning, “to touch”.[1]

Massage has its roots in ancient China and Egypt.

In 2600 B.C., the Chinese Emperor, Huangdi, wrote a book featuring a section on acupuncture.[2] This practice somewhat acted as a sort of proto-massage, as it featured acupressure; using the hands to apply pressure to certain points on the body.[3] Hundreds of years later, in an independent manner, massage was recorded as early as 2330 B.C. upon the walls of a tomb in Saqqara, Egypt.[4]

Massage is social.

While its origins can be understood from a historical sense, it’s theorized that the human concept of massage relates to primate grooming, thus its origins could also be understood from an evolutionary point of view.[5] In doing so, one may also look into how this perspective of massage classifies it as social in nature. Otherwise known as social touch, such behaviors (massage, grooming, caressing, etc.), both in primates and humans, have positive mental effects.[6] This is due to the neurophysiological mechanisms involved, and how not only do they benefit in terms of making one merely feel good, but also benefit in terms of regulating social relationships.[7]

Your brain can receive a massage.

Brain massages, otherwise known as binaural beats, are relaxing audio clips that have great effects on the body. From helping one deal with problematic blood pressure, to easing emotions, this “massage of the brain” can do a lot. In one study, researchers wanted to see if binaural beats, combined with chair massages, positively affected cognitive function and mental fatigue. They found that binaural beats not only increases cognition and eases the mind’s fatigue, but also increase one’s various forms of memory.[8]

Sources:

1. Online Etymology Dictionary. (n.d.). Massage. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved from: https://www.etymonline.com/word/massage

2. Curran J. (2008). The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine. BMJ : British Medical Journal, 336(7647), 777.

3. Acupuncture and Massage College. (2018, January 04). History of Massage Therapy. The Acupuncture and Massage College. Retrieved from: https://www.amcollege.edu/blog/history-of-massage-therapy-amc-miami

4. Menz, H.B. (2012, November 14). Reflexology: Panacea or Placebo. The Conversation. Retrieved from: https://theconversation.com/reflexology-panacea-or-placebo-10527

5. Semple, S. (2021, May 21). Good Vibes: What Happens When Monkeys Are Nice to Each Other? Frontiers. Retrieved from: https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2021.575499

6. Jablonski, N.G. (2021). Social and affective touch in primates and its role in the evolution of social cohesion. Neuroscience, 464, 117-125.

7. Aureli, F. and Schino, G. (2022). Brief touch is different from a massage: insights from nonhuman primates. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 43, 174-180.

8. Lim, J.H., Kim, H., Jeon, C., and Cho, S. (2018). The effects on mental fatigue and the cognitive function of mechanical massage and binaural beats (brain massage) provided by massage chairs. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 32, 32-28.

Article by: Jonathan A. Watson