Our Senses

The somatosensory system is the largest sensing system in your body. This system produces sensory feedback whenever you come in physical contact with your environment. In addition to the most commonly referred to five senses (smell, sight, taste, touch, hearing), our bodies also have other senses that keep us safe. These senses include body position (proprioception), sensing movement of your body and limbs (kinesthesis), pain (nociception), temperature, and finally touch.

Senses and your skin

You can complete simple and hard tasks because of your cutaneous system. Receptors found in your skin are the foundation of this system. Thermoreceptors give your skin the feeling of hot and cold, nociceptors allow you to feel pain, and mechanoreceptors respond to various pressure, vibrations and stretching of the skin. Your skin is composed of several layers, an epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. The epidermis is the outermost layer and is just layers of dead skin cells that are constantly being shed off and replaced.

How do our senses help us function?

1. As you touch a hot stove, pain receptors in your skin send signals forcing you to immediately pull your hand away from danger. Note that this movement occurs before you are ever conscious of the pain.

2. When you play a violin or guitar, as you become better at playing the instrument, you can play it without looking at the strings (remember the first time you tried and you had to look at the neck of the guitar to play it). Without looking at your arm and fingers, you always know where they are anyway. For example, close your eyes and touch your nose, ear and eye.