To Scratch or Not to Scratch

An itch is a sensation that causes the desire or reflex to scratch.  From many aspects, it is analogous to human emotions.  To a lot of people, an emotional response is indeed a reflex and can be caused by an external stimulant or internally by one's emotional wave.  Likewise, an itch can be triggered by something outside your body such as a mosquito bite, or by something within the system like eczema.  The reflex also leads us to have a strong need to act out, like crying when sad or screaming when angry.  This is like our need to alleviate the discomfort of itchiness by scratching.  Though it feels good, many researchers claim that scratching actually triggers very mild pain in your skin.  You are temporarily distracted when your nerve cells tell your brain that something hurts.  Pain-fighting serotonin is thus released as a result of the mild soreness from scratching, so the more you scratch the more you itch.  The vicious cycle of itching and scratching is parallel to the cycle of our emotional expression whereby the more you let out your rage, the more angry you may get.

Whether it is an itch or a negative emotion, there is a human need to remove it and relieve one self by eliminating or reducing the extent of it.  However, the act of scratching is also hedonic, as one would also enjoy the sensation of scratching and finds it highly pleasurable.  It seems that we are motivated to scratch because of the reward of pleasure.  This can be troublesome though when chronic scratching leads to open wounds that have become worse than the initial itch.  By the same token, venting and catharsis could be drug-like as the brain chemicals reinforce the behaviour.  If you are used to blowing off steam, you may become dependent on it.  Whether we are referring to a physical or emotional itch, it is still part of a decision-making process and there is indeed no absolute need to have a reaction or response to everything in life.  And for those with challenges in exercising self-control, avoiding "itch triggers" and understanding what sets you off would help to restrain unacceptable impulses from being expressed in detrimental ways.