“The satisfying sensation associated with wiggling our fingers in the ear canal or cleaning it with cotton buds is due to the sensitivity of the ear,” explains Dr Rony Ganguly, an audiology doctor and founder and managing director of Pindrop Hearing.

“This stimulates numerous nerve endings within the ear canal, creating a pleasant tingling feeling. It also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s feel-good hormones.”

A 2019 study even revealed how gentle stimulation of the ear canal can relieve symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease, improving their mobility, focus, memory, mood and sleep.

“The vagus nerve may explain why the satisfaction extends to other parts of the body when we stimulate the ears,” adds Abid Taluquedar, consultant audiologist at London Audiology. The vagus nerve is the body’s longest nerve, running from the brain to the abdomen (via the ears), and it regulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls our ‘rest and digest’ state. Unfortunately, the more we poke around in our ears to chase that pleasurable feeling, the more likely it is that they’ll get dry, inflamed and irritated, which starts the itch-scratch cycle.

Here’s why cleaning your ears with cotton buds feels so good (and why you should never do it)