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Do you ever feel... good when you stick something in your ear?
Well, you're not alone.
A doctor has explained on TikTok why some people experience an, uh, ear boner when they clean their ears with a cotton swab.
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Dr Karan Raj (@dr.karanr) is known for solving all manner of rogue health questions on TikTok, kind of like a modern day Embarrassing Bodies without the weird public tent.
This week, Dr Raj stitched a video from a TikToker who posed the very important question: “I’m just saying, if I’m not supposed to put cotton swabs in my ears, then why did evolution put a happy button in there?”
“If this happens to you, you’re having an ear boner. The happy button in your ear holes is a glitch," Dr Raj explained in his stitch.
“Some people who stick things inside their ears trigger an automatic cough, but others experience an eargasm. This is because a branch of the vagus nerve, which carries information about touch and sensation, extends into the ear.
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“For those with the cough glitch, if you stick something inside your ear pipes, your brain thinks it’s something in your throat and then triggers a cough to clear the threat.”
Ok, interesting.
“It works in reverse, too,” Dr Raj continued.
“Sometimes a throat irritation can cause ear pain, and a lucky few get eargasms. For these people, stimulating the vagus nerve in the ear leads to a parasympathetic response and a calming effect, similar to the other type of gasm seen.”
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The doctor said this is why some people's ears are "erogenous zones", explaining that the erectile tissue expands when it's stimulated.
Who knew!
"Happy to be team eargasm. I love cheap thrills," one person commented.
"Sometimes I get a cough and sometimes I get an eargasm and it’s so worth the gamble," added another.
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"One ear always feels good the other makes me cough but it never stays the same," said a third.
Dr Raj gave his followers full permission to continue to 'get freaky' with their ears, but he had one request: "Just leave the Q tips out of it".
Featured Image Credit: Dr Karan Raj (@dr.karanr) TikTok