Doctors explain the science behind 'eargasms,' or why sticking things in your ear feels so good
You're not supposed to use cotton swabs in your ears, but there are other ways to capture this feeling.
If you're not supposed to put cotton swabs in your ears, why does it feel so amazing?
Back in the 1920s, a man named Leo Gerstenzang observed his wife as she gave their baby a bath. To clean the child's ears, she would stick cotton balls on each end of a toothpick. It worked great, but Gerstenzang was concerned about the sharp ends—one slip could be extremely dangerous. So, he worked up a safer version, spending the next several years designing a machine that could make and package cotton swabs "never touched by human hands."
He called them "Baby Betty Gays," after his daughter, and then just "Baby Gays." Later, he developed the idea for the brand name "Q-Tips". The product caught on quickly, and for many years it was a popular choice for both adults and kids to remove earwax, among other uses. However, in the 1970s, the company added a warning to the package that the cotton swabs were not meant to be inserted into the ear.
Today, ENT professionals advise against using cotton swabs in your ear. Yet, many people continue to do it. One reason? It feels absolutely amazing.
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Sure, none of us want wax buildup in our ears, but it's become extremely clear that cotton swabs aren't actually all that great at removing wax. Outside the risk of perforating your ear drum by pushing the swab in too far, experts say cotton swabs are more likely to push wax deeper into the ear rather than pull it out. That's pretty counter-productive.
But by and large, people report that the feeling of twisting a cotton swab around inside your ear feels incredible. There is, believe it or not, a quasi-medical term for this sensation: an eargasm.
Dr. Karan Rajan recently created a now-viral video on TikTok covering the topic in-depth. He says that, for some people, the Vagus nerve-endings inside the ear are extremely sensitive. The Vagus nerve is a "branchlike structure that runs from your brain to your butt," according to Men's Health, and carries information about touch and sensation. When stimulated, you may experience a pleasurable feeling anywhere the nerve impacts, "including your heart, belly, and even reproductive areas."
"This leads to a parasympathetic response and a calming effect, similar to the other type of 'gasm. This is why, for many, ears are an erogenous zone."
He adds that the erectile tissue in your ears can get engorged when stimulated, giving you...you guessed it...an "ear boner." Add to this that the inside of your ear is not touched very often and can sometimes get itchy or irritated, it's no wonder rubbing it with a cotton swab feels so dang amazing.
One fun fact, or a not-so fun fact depending on your perspective, is that some people have what Rajan calls the "cough glitch," where stimulation of the inner ear makes them feel like there's something in their throat and may trigger a cough. Vice versa, a tingling in the throat may be felt in the ear. It's just another funny response by the Vagus nerve, but a much less pleasurable one.
@dr.karanr Eargasm @wtfaleisa
It's not just cotton swabs that can make your whole body feel amazing via the nerves in your ears.
If the vibrations are just right from music or any other sound or physical sensation that makes the ears tingle, a similar eargasm effect can occur.
This could be one reason people love ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, videos. The whispering and other soft sounds can create a pleasurable, euphoric, tingling sensation throughout the body and trigger feelings of relaxation and reduced stress.
Medical News Today adds, "The sensitivity and power of the ears may explain why they can feel erogenous for many people. Whispering into the ear during intercourse can stimulate nerve endings and enhance feelings of intimacy. Physically stimulating the ears by massaging, licking, or gently biting them may also enhance feelings of arousal and closeness."
When you add in the emotional element that music, in particular, can create in us, the eargasm feeling can become extraordinarily powerful.
Music reporter Allison Hagendorf says that when a song swells in an emotional, triumphant crescendo, it can be a euphoric experience.
"Scientists call it frisson, French for 'shivers', and it's this full body reaction when music, emotion, and surprise collide all at once. It's that surge you feel when something in a song takes you somewhere unexpected."
Though not strictly related to a stimulation of the Vagus nerve, music that hits just right can flood your brain with dopamine, the neurochemical responsible for feeling love, joy, and awe.
Fascinatingly, only about half of all people have the capability to experience these "musical chills."
The reason a little stimulation in and around our ears can feel so amazing goes far beyond just that "scratching an itch" sensation. There's legitimate neuroscience behind why the ears may be the key to full-body pleasure and euphoria in many people.
Again, doctors advise against sticking cotton swabs in your ears for a variety of health and safety reasons. But if you find yourself tempted to do it because it feels so good, consider yourself lucky that you're among those capable of powerful eargasms. Luckily, there are other, safer ways to explore your auditory superpowers.
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