# Would you be able to identify your own genitals by touch only? (TMI probably) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 21, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834 "2005-01-21T00:46:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/1 "2005-01-21T00:46:34Z")
Let’s say you were in a Sensory Depravation Chamber with touch excluded. Further stretching your imagination, let’s say that had touch, but only with your hands. As in, you could FEEL with your hands, but not with your body (which would explain why you wouldn’t feel your hands on your privates). Now, suppose there are 2 other people of your gender around…so close to you that you couldn’t just rely on the genitals right in front of you. Do you think you could, just by touching, feeling, and exploring with hands, guess correctly which of the genitalia was yours? I guess it answers the question, just how well do you really know your own body? ---
**Author:** ![Gfab912](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a9a28c/32.png) [@Gfab912](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfab912)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/2 "2005-01-21T01:08:45Z")
You know, it looks like you’ve put a lot of thought to this mystery. May I suggest that you step away from the computer and go for a brisk walk in the fresh air. You’re inhaling too much of your own fumes. Peace. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/3 "2005-01-21T01:11:06Z")
No, how could you? Our sense of touch just isn’t that profound. Unless you can feel and sense the difference between fingerprints, I honestly think you couldn’t tell the difference. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/4 "2005-01-21T01:14:30Z")
If you get pins and needles in your arm and then touch yourself with the senseless hand, it feels quite like someone else was touching you. So I susspect you wouldn’t be able to be sure that you touched your own genitals compared to similar genitals of another person. Similar questions of whether you would recognise the sent of your own (or your partners) genitals in a test might be interesting to know. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/5 "2005-01-21T01:21:17Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > No, how could you? Our sense of touch just isn’t that profound. Unless you can feel and sense the difference between fingerprints, I honestly think you couldn’t tell the difference. I don’t think it’s that hard. Maybe it would be for most…But some may have some distingishable marks or characteristics that they’d be able to tell. ---
**Author:** ![Keapon\_Laffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@Keapon\_Laffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keapon_Laffin)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/6 "2005-01-21T01:22:03Z")
Sure. Unless the other 2 people \*also \* have 10 inch… huh? what? 😃 No, no, I kid. Nah, probably couldn’t tell by touch. By sight, I probably could. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/7 "2005-01-21T01:22:18Z")
Well, if it’s just me and two black dudes laying in the chamber then I probably could. Otherwise, I seriously doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![violacrane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c57346/32.png) [@violacrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/violacrane)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/8 "2005-01-21T01:27:15Z")
Well first I would like to say that this question made me laugh, a lot. Second, sure I could, same as I think I could identify my own foot or knee or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/9 "2005-01-21T01:29:50Z")
Frug. I wrote a post and then lost it. Anyway, what kind of distinguishing marks? I’m female, and I have no piercings. Are we talking about just immediate genitalia? Because I do have a beauty mark - er, some distance away. So if I could feel that, yeah, i could figure it out - unless lots of girls have one there. > [@Keapon Laffin](#): > > Sure. Unless the other 2 people also have 10 inch… huh? what? Your username is appropriate here. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/10 "2005-01-21T01:31:37Z")
Yes. I have a distinguishing feature that is quite unique. Though probably not exclusively so. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/11 "2005-01-21T01:42:50Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Frug. I wrote a post and then lost it. > > Anyway, what kind of distinguishing marks? I’m female, and I have no piercings. Are we talking about just immediate genitalia? No. Really, anything that can distingish between your pubic area and others, say, the way the hair is trimmed, if it exists at all, if someone has a deformity, the size or opening. Little things like that. ---
**Author:** ![stegon66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@stegon66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stegon66)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/12 "2005-01-21T01:47:29Z")
Well, I was gonna answer “yes” and make a joke about frequent masturbation and how my penis gets jealous when I shake hands with someone, but never mind… ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/13 "2005-01-21T01:54:22Z")
When, I started reading the thread I was going to make the same joke as **Keapon Laffin**. I have absolutely no idea, but I’m going to guess yes. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/14 "2005-01-21T02:03:12Z")
I have a beauty mark also, and a dimple. So yes, I think I could. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/15 "2005-01-21T02:08:03Z")
I dunno. I think I could, but then again, I really haven’t spent much time (or any time) touching other people’s boy bits. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/16 "2005-01-21T02:15:01Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > I dunno. I think I could, but then again, I really haven’t spent much time (or any time) touching other people’s boy bits. That’s another thing. If this was a life-or-death thing, I’d hope to be able to go around and touch some girly-bits so i could get the idea of how we’re different. I’ve never touched anyone’s girly-bits other than my own (more’s the pity, too!) ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/17 "2005-01-21T02:16:56Z")
Your sensory deprivation concept is missing one point – yes, we can detect whether that’s a cat, a pillow, or a rock by tactile sensations. But we determine where our limbs are relative to the rest of us by a quite different sense – proprioception. Hold your arm above your head, standing or sitting on the ground outdoors or on the floor of a room with normal-height ceilings, and you will touch nothing but air. But you know _where_ your arm is, despite feeling nothing except perhaps vagrant air currents, from your body’s feedback as to where it’s holding your arm. Therefore, if I’m reaching in the direction of my crotch, they’re my genitals – if my arm is off to my left or right, they’re somebody else’s. Never mind I have no tactile sensations in my crotch (at least in your experiment) – I know where my arm is, by proprioception. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/18 "2005-01-21T02:33:57Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Therefore, if I’m reaching in the direction of my crotch, they’re my genitals – if my arm is off to my left or right, they’re somebody else’s. Never mind I have no tactile sensations in my crotch (at least in your experiment) – I know where my arm is, by proprioception. I knew someone would probably bring this into the discussion. I tried to eliminate it by saying that everyone was really close together…but _shrug_… I guess I was just secretly hoping that most of you would either forget about this item or disregard it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/19 "2005-01-21T02:36:15Z")
Hmmm. Would I be allowed to use my mouth? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834/20 "2005-01-21T02:38:45Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > Hmmm. Would I be allowed to use my mouth? On your own genitals? How flexible are you??!! 😕 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-able-to-identify-your-own-genitals-by-touch-only-tmi-probably/285834.md?page=2)