Why Do Paper Cuts Hurt So Much?

It’s a question we’ve all wondered, usually in the midst of writhing in stationery-induced agony. “Whyyyyyyy??!! It’s only papeerrrr owwwwww!!!” Want the answer? Scientific American’s Ferris Jabr’s got it.

It comes down to anatomy, our pesky, sensitive hands, and the fact that paper is pretty evil on a microscopic level.

Source: youtube.com

Time – and brain chemistry – heal all wounds . . .

Christie WIlcox has a touching and beautiful exploration and personal account of pain, loss, and the biology of how we can hurt so much sometimes, even if we aren’t physically injured:

I know I’m not physically hurt. Though it feels like I’ve been kicked in the stomach with steel-toed boots, my abdomen isn’t bruised. Spiking cortisol levels are causing my muscles to tense and diverting blood away from my gut, leading to this twisting, gnawing agony that I cannot stop thinking about. I can’t stop crying. I can’t move. I just stare at the ceiling, wondering when, if ever, this pain is going to go away.

It doesn’t matter that my injuries are emotional. The term heartache isn’t a metaphor: emotional wounds literally hurt. The exact same parts of the brain that light up when we’re in physical pain go haywire when we experience rejection. As far as our neurons are concerned, emotional distress is physical trauma.