When you think about matches made in heaven, you probably think of the obvious ones, like peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, or Victoria and David Beckham. But what about your fingernail and a particularly itchy spot of skin? Sure, it’s not quite as dreamy to think about, but it’s interesting to figure out why scratching brings us such relief.
A back scratch was my earliest sign of affection. My mom used to wake me up every morning by scratching my back — it was much less jarring than an alarm, and an early morning reminder that I was loved. So linking the action to a happy moment makes it all the more satisfying for me. But emotions aside, there’s also a scientific link between scratching an itch and feeling great.
According to the BBC, we’re still not too certain about why we’re tempted to scratch an itch. But itches are something that everyone experiences multiple times. They could be related to nerve endings called nociceptors, which the skin contains a bunch of. Nociceptors help us figure out when something may be dangerous, by responding with pain. While itching is more of an annoyance than a pain, the BBC explains that the itch reaction might have been a misfire of this internal response.
There’s also a bunch of different types of itches out there. Bet you never thought that something like an insect bite would technically provide a different itch than, say, a skin disorder like eczema.
The reason we scratch itches seems to almost be biological. In our head, we’re doing it to remove the bug or plant that might have creeped up on our skin, causing this sensation — even if there’s nothing physically there.
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Back in 2009, scientists tested a theory surrounding why we scratch by treating test primates to histamine, a chemical that increases itchiness. Right after injection, neutrons in their spinothalamic tracts began to fire pretty quickly. But when the subjects were scratched, it slowed down a bit. In other words, it openly provided a sense of relief and taught scientists that the “itch relief” happened more in the spine than in the brain, which is pretty incredible.
So, next time you get an itch? Just remind yourself that that’s your body at work.