Do you like the feeling of freshly cut fingernails?

English: Complete neuron cell diagram. Neurons (also known as neurones and nerve cells) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that process and transmit information. In vertebrate animals, neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Personally, I love the feeling after my finger nails are clipped. My fingers feel cleaner, more sensitive, more nimble, and just sexier. Why is this and why do some people not feel that.

Let's talk about anatomy. In this post I am focusing on the finger even though some of this will also pertain to other parts of the body.

In our fingertips we mecanoreceptors that are called Merkel nerve endings that consist of a Merkel cells in close apposition of an enlarged nerve terminal. They are supper sensitive and necessary for our sensations of touch. They are also rigid and not encapsulated, like some of our other nerves, which causes them to have a sustained responses to tissue (our skin) deflection.

What does this have to do with cutting our fingernails?

Well your fingernail is connected to the skin on your finger. While you are cutting your fingernails you are moving the skin about and that activates these Merkel nerve endings. Since they have this sustained response, even when you are done cutting your nails you still feel it. For some people, it is very painful and so they will feel the pain for longer and not enjoy the sensations. For people like me, it feels like a mini massage and I enjoy it immensely.

How does it feel to you?

Source

• Kandel E.R., Schwartz, J.H., Jessell, T.M. (2000). Principles of Neural Science, 4th ed., pp.433. McGraw-Hill, New York. (July 28, 2013) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1350526/?tool=pubmed