Study: Itching is Contagious Like Yawning
- 11 years ago
A study shows that itching is contagious like yawing.
We all know yawning is contagious but how about itching?
Surprisingly, itching is also contagious according to a study done by the psychology department at the University of Hull in England.
Subjects were hooked up to an fMRI machine that kept track of their brain activity as they watched videos of people scratching themselves.
Two thirds of the subjects ended up itching too.
A reaction in the brain that is triggered when people actually experience a physical irritation that causes them to itch, is the same one that happens when we see someone itching themselves.
These results are similar to studies done on laughter being contagious behaviors.
Research from the University College London and Imperial College London, using the same fMRI brain scans showed that the brains reaction to laughter triggers facial muscles to respond in a similar way: an involuntary reaction that is the result of how others around us are behaving.
What do you think - are itching and laughter contagious?
We all know yawning is contagious but how about itching?
Surprisingly, itching is also contagious according to a study done by the psychology department at the University of Hull in England.
Subjects were hooked up to an fMRI machine that kept track of their brain activity as they watched videos of people scratching themselves.
Two thirds of the subjects ended up itching too.
A reaction in the brain that is triggered when people actually experience a physical irritation that causes them to itch, is the same one that happens when we see someone itching themselves.
These results are similar to studies done on laughter being contagious behaviors.
Research from the University College London and Imperial College London, using the same fMRI brain scans showed that the brains reaction to laughter triggers facial muscles to respond in a similar way: an involuntary reaction that is the result of how others around us are behaving.
What do you think - are itching and laughter contagious?