The Oh of Pleasure

The headline caught my eye, I must say:

Stroking reveals pleasure nerve

Thank you, Jenny Carpenter, Science Reporter for the BBC, for this hard-hitting piece of investigative journalism.

A new touch-sensitive nerve fibre responsible for the sense of pleasure experienced during stroking has been described at a UK conference today.

Oh, it gets better:

The nerves tap into a human's reward pathways, and could help explain why we enjoy grooming and a good hug, a neuroscientist has explained.

His team used a stroking machine to reveal the optimal speed and pressure for the most enjoyable caress. (emphasis mine)

I know a few people who would like to get their hands on that machine.

In order to isolate the touch-sensitive nerves responsible for the pleasure experienced during stroking, Professor McGlone designed a "rotary tactile stimulator" - a high-tech stroking machine.

"We have built some very sophisticated equipment, so the stimulus [of stroking] is very repeatable."

Now this is the kind of science I can get into! Unfortunately, the article goes on to destroy my hopes and dreams:

Professor McGlone points out that these touch nerves are not responsible for the pleasure experienced from rubbing sexual organs, nor are they found in a person's palms or soles.

Well, then, what's the point?

Post to del.icio.us | Digg this | Post to Furl