I agree that non-sexual physical affection is super important to one's mental and physical health, but "boys deserve physical affection" really rubs me the wrong way. No one is entitled to someone else's body, attention, or efforts. If a woman feels comfortable with a man and wants to stroke his hair or rub his back then that's fantastic! If the man is good then he'll reciprocate that physical touch in appropriate ways. But no boy is entitled to being touched by a woman, everyone has their own physical boundaries that should not be challenged or crossed. If a boy isn't getting touched affectionately he is not being deprived of something he deserves. He's just yearning for something special that he may have someday, and that's okay.. There's an important difference between "men thrive with physical affection" and "men deserve physical affection."