20/07/2025
We all know what it’s like to pick up a sheet of paper, only to get a painful paper cut. The injury is usually small and shallow, but it can really hurt!
Although it can be uncomfortable, the pain is completely normal. That’s because paper cuts often occur on your hands and fingers, which are extremely sensitive.
To learn more about why paper cuts hurt so much, read on. We’ll explore the science behind paper cut pain, along with ways to prevent and treat it.
Your body has hundreds of nerves. These nerves are spread throughout your body, from head to toe.
In your hands and fingers, though, the nerve endings are densely packed together. So, they’re more sensitive than other areas, like your back or arm.
In fact, according to a 2014 study, the fingertips have the highest tactile spatial acuity of the entire body. Tactile spatial acuity means the ability to perceive the sense of touch, including pain.
This explains why paper cuts hurt so much. They commonly affect the hands and fingers, which have a higher density of nerve endings.
But what about all the blood? Well, the capillaries in your hands and fingers are closely packed together. This means paper cuts can cause a lot of bleeding because of how concentrated blood can be in your hands.
