Insects don’t have to walk on our body to make us itch. For some, it is enough to hear, see or even look at a photo of an insect. But why does the very thought of insects make us so itchy?
Insects are unbearable, disturbing creatures that are worth looking at, thinking about and seeing. But we need to reconcile, because there is a great truth; They are everywhere! If you, like me, start scratching like crazy even when you hear the word “bug”, you may be wondering why this is so.
So far, a lot of research has been done on this issue. Different conclusions were drawn from each study that dealt with the subject from different points of view. Let’s take a look at these studies and see if this is true, and its possible causes.
First of all, if you get itchy even at the thought of bugs, don’t be afraid, you’re not crazy
Since this does not happen to everyone, if you saw a photo of an insect next to a friend and you started itching, you may have noticed interesting reactions and wondered what you exaggerated or “wagged”. But don’t be afraid, there are many studies confirming this.
For example, in a study conducted by scientists from Liverpool John Moore University to study the effect of visual stimuli on insects or scratches, participants were given numerous visual aids, such as fleas, ants, butterflies, various insects moving on the skin, skin diseases, itching from an insect bite and healthy skin is shown. The results obtained by measuring reactions to these images and their levels proved that images such as insects and itching cause the desire to scratch.
In another study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Hull and the University of Sussex to see how this situation affects brain activity, participants were shown a variety of images, from walking ants to a man scratching himself, and their brain activity examined. The results showed that such images led to joint activity in the brain. Therefore, when a person looks at these images, his brain actually generates signals that cause itching.
Okay, this is real. Why is this happening?
Scientists explain this in different ways. Neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania Dr. Wenqin Luo attributes this to memories from our past that cause itching. If you have an unpleasant history with insects, visual or auditory insect stimuli or scratches can cause you to itch.
Another explanation belongs to a neurologist from the University of Minnesota, Dr. K. Glenn J. Gisler Jr. is made. According to him, our skin can constantly experience something that will cause itching, but we can only notice those with a low threshold when we think about it or see something that causes it. In other words, the itch threshold can become noticeable by dropping when we think about it.
The reason why this situation occurs in some people, and others do not, is best explained from the point of view of Luo. According to him and many other studies conducted, if you don’t have a problem with insects, you don’t need to scratch when you think or see them…
