The Real Reason Why Paper Cuts Hurt So Damn Much

A fate crueler than death.

If you've ever accidentally sliced your finger on a piece of paper (or, god forbid, A MANILA ENVELOPE!!!!), you know that paper cuts hurt like a mother.

FOX

How does one 1/4-inch-long cut feel like someone sawed off your entire arm??

ABC, Claudiodivizia / Getty Images

Not to mention when you forget about it and use *gasp* hand sanitizer.

knowable.com

First of all, there are more pain receptors in your fingertips than most other places in your body.

nicoladestefanis.com

So a cut on your finger, where there are more nerve endings, stings more than, say, a cut on your thigh. “Fingertips are how we explore the world, how we do small, delicate tasks,” Dr. Hayley Goldbach told the BBC, “so it makes sense that we have a lot of nerve endings there. It’s kind of a safety mechanism.”

Second, a sheet of paper's edge is actually serrated like a saw blade, so those tiny ridges slice and dice your skin up more than they would if the edge were smooth, like a knife.

FOX

OUCH.

And third, paper cuts are too shallow to generate that much blood, meaning your body doesn't immediately rush in to clot and heal the wound.

independentmasterlist.tumblr.com

Be careful out there, kids.

HBO