A closer look
Massaging the sides of your neck can dramatically drop your heart rate by stimulating the vagus nerve, which acts as the master control switch for your parasympathetic nervous system. This winding superhighway of nerve fibers travels from your brainstem all the way down to your abdomen, frantically telling your organs to chill out and stop panicking over every minor inconvenience. When you accidentally trigger the vagal response by bearing down too hard in the bathroom or wearing a deeply uncomfortable necktie, your blood pressure can plummet so fast that you literally pass out. It is absolutely terrifying that our bodies come equipped with a hidden off-switch right near the surface of the skin, capable of force-quitting our consciousness at a moment's notice. You are basically a highly advanced biological machine carrying around a massive vulnerability flaw that hackers could easily exploit. Just be careful rubbing your neck when you are already feeling heavily exhausted
