Why do I keep shocking everything I touch? Excess static electricity is always a shock to the system— literally —but if you're experiencing shocks more so than not, annoying is an understatement.

Everyone has experienced the sudden surprise of a static shock. It's the result of an imbalance of electric charges either within or on the surface of a material.

MACON, Ga. — Do you get annoyed when you want to pet or cuddle your furbaby in the winter and they shock you? How rude, right?! Don't blame your pet for those small bolts of electricity -- blame ...

Dear Tom, Now that it’s turned cold, I’ve been getting electric shocks again. What causes them? —Sandy Wilson Dear Sandy, Static electricity is caused by a friction-induced charge separation ...

Static electricity is the buildup of an electrical charge on the surface of an object. Lightning is the most dramatic and potentially lethal example of static discharge. A far more benign ...