Why do massages feel good, but not as much when doing it to yourself?

Question

Even if it’s objectively not as good, it still feels better when another person does it. Why?

In: 121

Answer 1

There are two basic parts to any touch stimulus:

1. The signal that is sent from your nerves to your brain.

2. Your brain’s expectation and interpretation of the signal that has traveled to it.

The second part works in a very interesting way, and often when your brain knows that you are the one performing the action, it will “turn down” the sensitivity or magnitude of the signal as it processes it.

To see a very interesting example of other ways that #2 can happen, watch this video of the [rubber hand illusion](https://youtu.be/sxwn1w7MJvk?si=A7voZU6-AfwnlRtY).