Rubbing the Pain Away

There’s a reason why rubbing the area where you are hit makes it feel better. Nerves in the skin can feel stretch, temperature, pain, and pressure; and you mostly can only feel one of them at a time. Pressure beats them all, similar to a game of rock, paper, and scissors. When you cut yourself and squeeze the cut finger hard, you feel the pressure but not the cut. Rubbing hard is a form of pressure, which then beats out the pain.