How can you feel numb? ?

Question

How can you feel numb? If you're numb, then you can't feel anything, so you wouldn't be able to feel that you were numb. So how would you know? I just realized how that makes no sense...

Answer 1

neither does madonna's longevity make any sense.  numb is the anthesis of intensity.  it's figurative.  emotionally numb being the indifference to drug use, death, the plight of others, etc.  it is silly that the times in our lives where we feel numb we can still cry a lot.  its emotional exhaustion.  its the need to sleep rather than be affected by the things we should.  we should find another word.  indifferent, apathetic, cold, dead.  our language fails when faced with the myriad aspects of our condition.

Answer 2

Interesting question.  Obviously there are several types of "feeling numb". The feeling could be pins & needles, or it could be the awareness of the absence of touch feelings, or it might actually be pain of some type. You are clearly not feeling some external object but it is sort of like a feeling or being aware of a confusion of your sense of touch.  

I'm guessing but this may be similar to the issues of phantom limbs.  But in this case there is a temporary condition either caused by a nerve that is "pinched" or "crushed", or by a blood supply that is compromised for one reason or another.  And then when the cause is removed, the nerves return to normal.

This is an area that I am just moving into studying cognitive sciences and phenomenology, so I will keep your question in the back of my head and ask it to myself as I move through the material.

Good question.  These are the sorts of questions that are worth raising.

Answer 3

This is like asking "What is pain?" It is not a physical, but mental "feeling" brought on by a physical stimulus. Numbness can only be explained as the mind's way of compensating for the lack of stimuli coming from the area, by causing you to "feel" the lack of feeling.

Answer 4

You can feel numb if you watch political forums or debates on television. It always works for me.

Answer 5

its not that you cant feel anything, you just feel things differently,  

Answer 6

If you want to be literal, you can't "feel numb". People use that expression to explain a complete lack of feeling, a numbness. You can only feel things if your brain recieves the electrical impluse from your body when you touch something, or the wind blows against you. But since being numb affects the Feel sense, you say that you "feel numb", even though you don't.

Answer 7

Just my opinion. I think feeling numb is a relative type of feeling. It might mean something different to everyone. Some people are emotionally numb, they don't feel the need to laugh like they used to.

Answer 8

Feeling numb is the same as feeling empty.