Have you ever wondered why you laugh or tense up when you are tickled? What even is Tickling ? I wonder this all the time. Humans are extremely sensitive to touch, and a simple touch can cause a huge change in emotion for any human being. It’s almost impossible to get tickled by someone and not explode into laughter. But why is this?
In your brain, the cerebellum can predict when you are going to tickle (slight touches and stimulations to nerve endings) yourself. It sends the rest of the brain a signal that this is coming, which is why we will not laugh when we try and tickle ourselves. This may tell us that tickling is a social thing!
Quite unexpectedly in my opinion, tickling turns out to be a defense mechanism. Areas that are prone to injury on the human body are the ones that are the most ticklish. What would you do it someone was to tickle you? Probably tense up and get ready to move the person’s hands away from you. This is something that has been passed down through the generations and probably will continue to do so for a very long time.
Where are you most ticklish? For me, it is my underarms, feet, and stomach. Underarms contain the axillary vein and artery, which go directly to the heart. There are also no bones in the underarm, with that as well as major veins that make the human body work, this is a very sensitive area of the body, that is vulnerable to “attack”.
There is no evidence of why people laugh when they are tickled, or why people are even ticklish in the first place. It is known though that people have been ticklish for a very long time and most likely will continue to be for many generations to come.
Sources: http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/laugh-tickling3.htm
It’s interesting to think about why certain people react differently to the action of tickling. For example, my identical twin laughs hysterically, and almost enjoys it. On the other end of the scale, I believe that tickling hurts, and almost to the point of evoking a cry. I avoid tickling at all costs. I wonder if it has something to do with the nerve endings in a persons skin, or the way a person perceives tickling?
I thought this was a funny article because I am literally the most ticklish person on the planet. I have always wondered, though, why exactly we were ticklish and why certain people are more ticklish than others. I also completely agree with your “defense mechanism” tactic. When I get tickled, I literally just kick my legs as hard as I can in order to get the person to stop, so it would make perfect sense if it actually was a defense mechanism. You might want to read this article. I found it pretty interesting.
http://www.bitrebels.com/lifestyle/science-why-are-we-ticklish-what-does-it-mean/
Being ticklish is something I had never really given much thought to before, but after you said it was actually meant to be a defense mechanism, it got me thinking! If it truly is a defense mechanism, why isn’t everyone ticklish? And why only in certain spots that are different from person to person? Also, is being ticklish hereditary? Is there some kind of ticklish gene that determines all of this at birth? I was not able to find any articles that really answered all of these questions, but if anyone finds out I would love to know!
It shocks me that there is still not scientific explanation for tickling! It’s something almost everyone is! I still am unsure why the reaction is for us to laugh. I found this article with more information thoughhere
I completely agree that it is a defense mechanism. I am the most ticklish person and I hate it! It’s actually physically impossible for somebody to tickle themselves because they are aware that they’re not in danger. Very interesting how the brain works. It also confuses me how some people aren’t ticklish but others are. What could make this happen?