1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: Stuff Lauren Vogel bomb here with a classic episode from 3 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: the podcast archives. Today's question has been taken both scientifically 4 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: and philosophically. Why can't we taste our own tongues? Hey 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel bomb here. It may seem like 6 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 1: a ridiculous question at first, but it's actually a mind bender. 7 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: Why can't you taste your tongue? A thirteenth century Indian 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: mystic Danna sch war even used it in contemplation on 9 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:37,880 Speaker 1: the very nature of being. Along with its fellow sense 10 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: organs of eyes, ears, nose, and skin, the tongue serves 11 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: as one of the primary ways we experience the world 12 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: and form a working model of it. The same riddle 13 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: is frequently applied to the eye. Though we can certainly 14 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:52,839 Speaker 1: see our own eyes and reflections, we can feel our 15 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: own skin, though, of course, the tip of your left 16 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: index finger can't touch itself and the ear cannot hear itself, 17 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 1: But either does it make a sound. The tongue, however, 18 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: looks in our mouth like a layered beast, flip flopping 19 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: its way through our daily conversations, tasting our food and 20 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:10,759 Speaker 1: occasionally dislodging a little bit of it from our teeth. 21 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: Perhaps we're more inclined to ponder the mystery of the 22 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: tongue due to its hidden nature or the many lingering 23 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:20,399 Speaker 1: myths regarding its functionality. Tongue rolling, for instance, is not 24 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: the simple genetic trait that we often chalk it up 25 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 1: to be. Nor is the tongue our strongest muscle, and 26 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: while we're at it, it's a collection of muscles. Neither 27 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:30,680 Speaker 1: is the tongue laid out like a simple map with 28 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: different zones for sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. One of 29 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: the biggest misconceptions about the tongue, however, is that it 30 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: rules alone in its governance of flavor sensations. The receptor 31 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: cells in our taste buds certainly carry out the chemical 32 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: sensation of taste, but they're located on the bumpy external 33 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: surface of our tongue. They're not able to turn those 34 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: powers inward on themselves. They collect tactile and thermal details 35 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: about any morsel that enters their domain. But the brain 36 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: also depends upon your sense of smell to interpret flavor, 37 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: So the tongue is not alone in its taste mission. 38 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: Your tongue can taste food or the remnants of food 39 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: in your mouth. Accidentally bite your tongue and you can 40 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: taste the blood trickling out of its own wound. Fun fact, 41 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:12,839 Speaker 1: all that saliva and those blood vessels in your mouth 42 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: seem to allow for quick healing. You can also taste 43 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: your own saliva. And who hasn't had a bad taste 44 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: in their mouth, whether from some aggressive garlic or an 45 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: underlying medical condition. And yes, lovebirds, you can pick up 46 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: on all these sensations during an open mouth kiss, but 47 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: you'll still find yourself at pains to taste an actual 48 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 1: living tongue. Psychologists also talk about the conception of habituation, 49 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 1: or the idea that if a stimulus is presented often 50 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: enough or for long enough, we learn to ignore it. 51 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: Like that scent you sprits on before you leave the 52 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 1: house that everyone but you can still smell later on 53 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:47,959 Speaker 1: in the day. The inability to taste our tongues could 54 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: be an example of that phenomenon. In any case, we 55 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: may not be able to taste our tongues for several reasons, 56 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 1: but don't let that stand in the way of a 57 00:02:55,560 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: little mystic naval gazing. Today's episode is based on the 58 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: article why Can't You Taste your Tongue on how stuffworks 59 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: dot com written by Robert Lamb. Brain Stuff is production 60 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:11,959 Speaker 1: of I heart Radio in partnership with how stuff works 61 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,639 Speaker 1: dot com, and it's produced by Tyler Klang. Four more 62 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: podcasts my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 63 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:20,240 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.