Sensitivity

[cjsmith]

I had an interesting moment of "What? You mean some people DON'T?" this weekend.

[Poll #1308075]

My answer to both of these is "Duh! Doesn't EVERYBODY?" (In the case of mosquitos, how else do you know to swat them?) These are not small sensations for me. They are obvious and can be startling. Last weekend I learned that there are people for whom this is not the case. I was pretty surprised.

At the vet clinic, it's obvious that some animals feel the needles while others do not. That also seems very strange to me.

Comments

[excessor.livejournal.com]

I feel those things when I think about it. For direct injections, I often don't feel it at all. For example, my flu shot this year was completely without sensation. Taking blood often (but not always) has an associated sensation.

I wonder if there's a difference between very light-skinned people and dark-skinned people and if there's a difference between men and women. I would guess that men are less sensitive—not only are we socialized to disregard such things, but the higher testosterone levels often blunt some sensations.

[kuangning]

Well, as a data point, I'm female and black, and I feel it when a mosquito bites (unless I'm distracted by some other sensation or asleep, so I picked almost always) and when a needle's inserted.

[excessor.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I'm wrong. I meant no disrespect.

I have a friend who has similar coloring to CJ: very pale white skin, reddish hair, and blue eyes—he not only feels everything, but he faints if he just thinks of a needle for any length of time. He also faints if he sees any blood at all, on himself or someone else. He once told me that this is more common for northern Europeans, so I was extrapolating.

I'm a dark-skinned Mediterranean type and I can watch full operations and get injections and have withdrawals without much problem.

I'm also the kind of person who doesn't remember getting scrapes, cuts, or bruises (“How'd that happen?”) and I don't feel minor temperature changes very much.

Another data point involves some folks with minor autistic characteristics who are ultrasensitive to their environment. If you know anyone like this, you've probably seen him or her get very fussy over the tiniest of feelings, like the feeling of a mosquito on his or her skin. They go wild trying to get rid of that feeling.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I had no idea about the coloring versus faintness. I think of that axis as very different from the sensitivity to sensations axis. (Also, the faintness bit can be trained away. I've made dramatic progress along those lines.) Interesting idea.

Like you, though, I don't remember getting bruises. I always guess that this is because I bruise when someone just *blinks* at me.

[kuangning]

Oh, I didn't take it as disrespectful, I thought it was an interesting question (although I'd be surprised if you're correct.) I hear you on the autism however; my Aspie ex-husband and autistic first child both have that level of sensitivity.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I feel those things when I think about it.

Oh wow. For me, that's inconceivable; if I weren't expecting an injection, I'd jump. I *have* jumped in startlement at a mosquito bite.

I would not be surprised at all if testosterone levels had something to do with it. (Even for a woman, I'm low on that.) There's also some weird connection between serotonin and pain perception, I believe, which is only now being investigated and understood.

[excessor.livejournal.com]

It would not surprise me at all to learn of a relationship between neurotransmitter (such as serotonin) levels and pain perception. The topic of pain is very, very interesting (but only when someone you know isn't living with chronic pain).

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It's fascinating when you're the one with chronic pain, too. (wry grin) I'm looking at the serotonin thing next for my feet. My doc says that every patient she's ever had with chronic pain has shown an allergy-type reaction to serotonin injected transdermally, while most non-chronic-pain patients she sees do not. Mine was off the charts. This makes me go hmmmmm.

[aquarian-azalea.livejournal.com]

I've read that redheads tend to have a lower pain threshold, and blue-eyed people are supposedly more prone to allergies. I have an extremely low pain threshold and have pale skin and reddish brown hair. I've always thought there was some correlation just based on anecdotal evidence.