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5. Scratching your ankle feels as good as sex

The old phrase 'You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' may need updating. The ankle has overtaken the back as the most satisfying spot to scratch, according to researchers at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina. In the study, reported in the British Journal of Dermatology, healthy volunteers were made to itch on the forearm, ankle and back by rubbing them with cowhage, a plant with tiny hairs that irritate the skin. Professor Francis McGlone, a member of the International Forum for the Study of Itch, said, "It was interesting that the ankle was the itchiest site and that the most pleasure came from scratching it, because the back has been well-known as a preferred site for scratching."