eli5. What’s with the instinctual head rub we do when we bump our head?

Question

eli5. What’s with the instinctual head rub we do when we bump our head?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Where nerves fire, they suppress the nerves around them, meaning if you have nerves firing in pain, causing the nerves around there to fire by rubbing the area will act to lessen the sense of pain. The nerves registering the rubbing will suppress the nerves registering pain