Can you scratch an itch by looking in a mirror?
Itch relief by mirror scratching. A psychophysical study
If one arm itches, scratching the other arm while watching it in a mirror can make the itch feel better.
Ig Nobel 2016
Volunteers had an itch induced on one forearm. A mirror was then placed between their arms so that, when the researchers scratched the non-itchy arm, it looked as if the itchy one was being scratched.
The trick worked: watching the “wrong” arm being scratched in the mirror made the itch feel significantly weaker. Your brain, it turns out, is quite happy to be fooled into feeling better.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the itchiest of them all? Not you, apparently.