Why do the smallest cuts hurt the worst

Slowly bring those pencils closer together, and note the point at which you can only feel one pencil. Then repeat the experiment on other body parts. Everyone is different, but the image below shows the approximate distances you begin to distinguish between the two pencils at on different body parts. Generally the lips, tongue and hands are the most sensitive, and the back and shins the least. Enter your keywords. Sign-Up Here. Yet they hurt SO much. Turns out that's just because of where they are.

The injury is usually small and shallow, but it can really hurt! Although it can be uncomfortable, the pain is completely normal. To learn more about why paper cuts hurt so much, read on.

Your body has hundreds of nerves. These nerves are spread throughout your body, from head to toe. In your hands and fingers, though, the nerve endings are densely packed together. In fact, according to a study , the fingertips have the highest tactile spatial acuity of the entire body. Tactile spatial acuity means the ability to perceive the sense of touch, including pain.

This explains why paper cuts hurt so much. They commonly affect the hands and fingers, which have a higher density of nerve endings. But what about all the blood? Well, the capillaries in your hands and fingers are closely packed together. This means paper cuts can cause a lot of bleeding because of how concentrated blood can be in your hands.

Paper cuts, along with other wounds, may be more painful or harder to heal if you have certain conditions. In some cases, nerve damage might reduce your sensation of touch and pain. You may also be less cautious with a paper cut, which can increase the risk of complications. There are also several conditions that can make it harder for paper cuts to heal. Talk with your doctor about paper cuts if you have:.

Wash your hands as soon as you get a paper cut. Use soap and water. Keep the wound clean, and if possible, for a few days cover it with a small bandage to cushion the wound and limit reopening. While the physical effects of a paper cut are a real drag, I am fascinated by the mental and emotional response to the paper cut.

While both intentional self-injury example: cutting and major accidental injury example: car accident with loss of limb or paralysis have inspired important, ongoing research into their psychological effects, minor accidental injuries do not — and that is OK.

There are more pressing issues in need of research than paper cuts. But for a moment think back to the feelings you may have had about your paper cuts: surprise that the mundane act of licking an envelope could result in an injury and so much blood!

Paper cuts are trivial, but they may invoke a complex emotional response. Paper cuts remind us that no matter how many times we have performed even a simple task we are capable of accidentally hurting ourselves. Festival of Social Science — Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire. Edition: Available editions United Kingdom.