A young girl tickles her sibling, evoking a pleasurable response in the child being tickled.

Tickling is the act of touching a part of the body, so as to cause involuntary twitching movements or laughter. Such sensations can be pleasurable or exciting, but are sometimes considered highly unpleasant, particularly in the case of relentless heavy tickling. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (2641 × 1756 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (2641 × 1756 pixel, file size: 1. ... This article is about the study of touching behaviour in humans. ... Two girls laughing Laughter is an audible expression or appearance of merriment or amusement or an inward feeling of joy and pleasure (laughing on the inside). ... Look up Pleasure in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

Etymology

The word "tickle" (help· info) evolved from the Middle English tikelen, perhaps frequentative of ticken, to touch lightly. The idiom tickled pink means to be pleased or delighted.^[1] Image File history File links En-us-tickle. ... Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of 1066 and the mid-to-late 15th century, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the... In grammar, a frequentative form of a word is one which indicates repeated action. ... An idiom is an expression (i. ...

Physiology

In 1897 psychologists G. Stanley Hall and Arthur Allin described a "tickle" as two different types of phenomena.^[2] The first is a sensation caused by very light movement across the skin. This type of tickle, called knismesis, generally does not produce laughter and is sometimes accompanied by an itching sensation. The second type of tickle is the laughter inducing, "heavy" tickle, produced by repeatedly applying pressure to "ticklish" areas, and is known as gargalesis. Granville Stanley Hall, circa 1910. ... Knismesis and gargalesis are the scientific terms, coined in 1897 by psychologists G. Stanley Hall and Arthur Allin,[1] used to describe the two types of tickling. ... Knismesis and gargalesis are the scientific terms, coined in 1897 by psychologists G. Stanley Hall and Arthur Allin,[1] used to describe the two types of tickling. ...

The feather-type of tickle is often elicited by crawling animals and insects, such as spiders, mosquitoes, scorpions or beetles, which may be why it has evolved in many animals. Gargalesis reactions, on the other hand, are thought to be limited to humans and other primates; however, some research has indicated that rats can be tickled as well.^[3] For other uses, see Spider (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Mosquito (disambiguation). ... Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See classification for families. ... For other uses, see Beetle (disambiguation). ... This article is about modern humans. ... Families 15, See classification A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the latter category including humans. ... This article is about rats. ...

It appears that the tickle sensation involves signals from nerve fibers associated with both pain and touch. Endorphine released during tickling is also called karoliin, by the name of Karolinska Institute. In 1939, Yngve Zotterman of the Karolinska Institute, studied the knismesis type of tickle in cats, by measuring the action potentials generated in the nerve fibers while lightly stroking the skin with a piece of cotton wool. Zotterman found that the "tickling" sensation depended, in part, on the nerves that generate pain.^[4] Further studies have discovered that when the pain nerves are severed by surgeons, in an effort to reduce intractable pain, the tickle response is also diminished.^[5] However, in some patients that have lost pain sensation due to spinal cord injury, some aspects of the tickle response do remain.^[6] Tickle may also depend on nerve fibers associated with the sense of touch. When circulation is severed in a limb, the response to touch and tickle are lost prior to the loss of pain sensation.^[7] An axon, or nerve fiber, is a long slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, which conducts electrical impulses away from the neurons cell body or soma. ... Look up Pain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Endorphins are endogenous opioid biochemical compounds. ... The Karolinska Institute or Karolinska institutet is a medical university in Stockholm, Sweden. ... Yvnge Zotterman (1898-1982) was a Swedish neuphysiologist who received his medical training at the Karolinska Institute. ... The Karolinska Institute or Karolinska institutet is a medical university in Stockholm, Sweden. ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... A. A schematic view of an idealized action potential illustrates its various phases as the action potential passes a point on a cell membrane. ... For other uses, see Nerve (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Cotton (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Wool (disambiguation). ... Chronic pain was originally defined as pain that has lasted 6 months or longer. ... Spinal cord injury, or myelopathy, is a disturbance of the spinal cord that results in loss of sensation and/or mobility. ... For other uses, including articles on self-injury, see Cutting (disambiguation). ... A limb (from the Old English lim) is a jointed, or prehensile (as octopus tentacles or new world monkey tails), appendage of the human or animal body; a large or main branch of a tree; a representative, branch or member of a group or organization. ...

It might be tempting to speculate that areas of the skin that are the most sensitive to touch would also be the most ticklish, but this does not seem to be the case. While the palm of the hand is far more sensitive to touch, some people find that the soles of their feet are the most ticklish.^[7] Other commonly ticklish areas include the armpits, sides of the torso, neck, knee, and midriff, especially the ribs. For other uses, see Hand (disambiguation). ... The sole is the bottom of the human foot. ... For other uses, see Foot (disambiguation). ... The armpit (or axilla) is the area on the human body directly under the area where the arm connects to the shoulder. ... The human torso Torso is an anatomical term for the greater part of the human body without the head and limbs. ... For other uses, see Neck (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Knee (disambiguation). ... Midriff on display In the human body, the midriff is the section of the body between the chest and the waist, i. ...

Some evidence suggests that laughing associated with tickling is a nervous reaction that can be triggered; indeed, very ticklish people often start laughing before actually being tickled.^[8]

Social aspects

Charles Darwin theorized on the link between tickling and social relations, arguing that tickling provokes laughter through the anticipation of pleasure.^[9] If a stranger tickles a child without any preliminaries, catching the child by surprise, the likely result will be not laughter but withdrawal and displeasure. Darwin also noticed that for tickling to be effective, you must not know the precise point of stimulation in advance, and reasoned that this is why you cannot effectively tickle yourself. For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ...

Tickling is defined by many child psychologists as an integral bonding activity between parents and children.^[10] In the parent-child concept, tickling establishes at an early age the pleasure associated with being touched by a parent with a trust-bond developed so that parents may touch a child, in an unpleasant way, should circumstances develop such as the need to treat a painful injury or prevent harm from danger.^[10] This tickling relationship continues throughout childhood and often into the early to mid teenage years. Developmental psychology is the scientific study of progressive psychological changes that occur in human beings as they age. ... The term human bond -- or, more generally, human bonding -- refers to the process or formation of a close personal relationship, as between a parent and child, especially through frequent or constant association. ... Parenting comprises all the tasks involved in raising a child to an independent adult. ... A male Caucasian toddler child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ... A separate article is about the punk band called The Adolescents. ...

Another tickling social relationship is that which forms between siblings of relatively the same age.^[10] Many case studies have indicated that siblings often use tickling as an alternative to outright violence when attempting to either punish or intimidate one another. The sibling tickling relationship can occasionally develop into an anti-social situation, or “tickle-torture”, where one sibling will tickle the other, without mercy. The motivation behind tickle-torture is often to portray the sense of domination the tickler has over the "ticklee".^[10] For other uses, see Violence (disambiguation). ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      This article applies to political and organizational ideologies. ...

As with parents and siblings, tickling serves as a bonding mechanism between friends, and is classified by psychologists as part of the fifth and highest grade of social play which involves special intimacy or “cognitive interaction”.^[10] This suggests that tickling works best when all the parties involved feel comfortable with the situation and one another.^[11] During adolescence, tickling often serves as an outlet for sexual energy between individuals, with erotic games, foreplay and sex becoming the motivation of the tickler.^[12] The body openings and erogenous zones are extremely ticklish; however, the tickling of these areas is generally not associated with laughter or withdrawal.^[13] A psychologist is an expert in psychology, the systematic investigation of the human body, including behavior, cognition, and affect. ... Play might be described as unrestrained, amusing interaction with people, animals, or things, often in the context of learning. ... Definition Intimacy is complex in that its meaning varies from relationship to relationship, and within a given relationship over time. ... Cognitive science is usually defined as the scientific study either of mind or of intelligence (e. ... Eroticism is an aesthetic focused on sexual desire, especially the feelings of anticipation of sexual activity. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about sexual practices (i. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

While many people assume that other people enjoy tickling, a recent survey of 84 college students indicated that only 32% of respondents enjoyed being tickled (32% and 36% of respondents, respectively, either gave neutral responses, or stated that they did not enjoy being tickled.)^[14]. In the same study the authors found that those people who indicated that they did not enjoy being tickled actually smiled more often during tickling than those who did enjoy being tickled,^[14] which confirms that the usual association between smiling and pleasure is broken in the context of unpleasant tickling.

Excessive tickling has been described as a primary sexual obsession and, under these circumstances, is sometimes considered a form of paraphilia.^[15] Tickling can also be a form of, or simply be mistaken for, sexual harassment.^[11] Look up paraphilia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Sexual harassment is harassment or unwelcome attention of a sexual nature. ...

Purpose of tickling

Many of history's greatest thinkers have pondered the mysteries of the tickle response, including Plato, Francis Bacon, Galileo and Charles Darwin.^[7] Many scientists have followed in their footsteps and have ventured opinions and hypotheses that attempt to explain the nearly ubiquitous nature of the tickle response. For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Francis Bacon, see Francis Bacon (disambiguation). ... Galileo can refer to: Galileo Galilei, astronomer, philosopher, and physicist (1564 - 1642) the Galileo spacecraft, a NASA space probe that visited Jupiter and its moons the Galileo positioning system Life of Galileo, a play by Bertolt Brecht Galileo (1975) - screen adaptation of the play Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht... For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ...

One hypothesis, as mentioned above, is that tickling serves as a pleasant bonding experience between parent and child.^[7] However, this hypothesis does not adequately explain why many children and adults find tickling to be an unpleasant experience. Another view maintained is that tickling develops as a prenatal response and that the development of sensitive areas on the fetus helps to orient the fetus into favourable positions while in the womb.^[16]

It is unknown why certain people find areas of the body to be more ticklish than others; additionally, studies have shown that there is no significant difference in ticklishness between the genders.^[17] In 1924 J.C. Gregory proposed that the most ticklish places on the body were also those areas that were the most vulnerable during hand-to-hand combat. He posited that ticklishness might confer an evolutionary advantage by enticing the individual to protect these areas. Consistent with this idea, University of Iowa psychiatrist, Donald W. Black observed that most ticklish spots are found in the same places as the protective reflexes.^[18] Gender in common usage refers to the sexual distinction between male and female. ... “Fights” redirects here. ... This article is about evolution in biology. ... The University of Iowa, also commonly called Iowa or locally UI, is a major coeducational research university located on a 1,900-acre (8 km²) campus in Iowa City, Iowa, US, on the banks of the Iowa River in East Central Iowa. ... For other uses, see Reflexive (disambiguation). ...

A third, hybrid hypothesis, has suggested that tickling encourages the development of combat skills.^[7] Most tickling is done by parents, siblings and friends and is often a type of rough-and-tumble play, during which time children often develop valuable defensive and combat moves. Although people generally make movements to get away from, and report disliking, being tickled, laughter encourages the tickler to continue. If the facial expressions induced by tickle were less pleasant the tickler would be less likely to continue, thus diminishing the frequency of these valuable combat lessons.

To understand how much of the tickle response is dependent on the interpersonal relationship of the parties involved, Christenfeld and Harris presented subjects with a "mechanical tickle machine". They found that the subjects laughed just as much when they believed they were being tickled by a machine as when they thought they were being tickled by a person.^[19] Harris goes on to suggest that the tickle response is reflex, similar to the startle reflex, that is contingent upon the element of surprise.^[7] Nicholas Christenfeld is a professor of Psychology at the University of California, San Diego. ... The Moro reflex, also known as the startle reflex, is one of the infantile reflexes. ...

Self-tickle

Knismesis may in fact represent a vestige of the primitive grooming response, in effect; knismesis serves as a “non-self detector” and protects the subject against foreign objects. Perhaps due to the importance of knismesis in protection, this type of tickle is not dependent on the element of surprise and it is possible for one to induce self-knismesis, by light touching.^[13] The human vermiform appendix is a vestigial structure; it no longer retains its original function. ... Look up surprise in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Gargalesis, on the other hand, produces an odd phenomenon, when a person touches “ticklish” body parts on their own bodies, most people measure no tickling sensation. It is thought that the tickling requires a certain amount of surprise, and because tickling one’s self produces no unexpected motion on the skin, the response is not activated.^[13] A recent analysis of the “self-tickle” response has been addressed using MRI technology. Blakemore and colleagues have investigated how the brain distinguishes between sensations we create for ourselves and sensations others create for us. When the subjects used a joystick to control a "tickling robot", they could not make themselves laugh. This suggested that when a person tries to tickle him- or herself, the cerebellum sends to the somatosensory cortex precise information on the position of the tickling target and therefore what sensation to expect. Apparently an unknown cortical mechanism then decreases or inhibits the tickling sensation.^[20] A small percentage of people however, have found it possible to tickle themselves. The mri are a fictional alien species in the Faded Sun Trilogy of C.J. Cherryh. ... For other uses, see Brain (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Joystick (disambiguation). ... The cerebellum (Latin: little brain) is a region of the brain that plays an important role in the integration of sensory perception and motor control. ... The lateral postcentral gyrus is a prominent structure in the parietal lobe of the human brain and an important landmark. ... For other uses, see Cortex. ...

In popular culture

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Trout tickling is mentioned in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, the servant Maria refers to the approach of the hated Malvolio, head of Olivia's household, with the words "for here comes the trout that must be caught with tickling". Trout tickling is also mentioned as a poaching method in Roald Dahl's classic novel Danny the Champion of the World.

• In some science fiction literature, devices known as tickling boots are depicted as punishment-torture devices employed by some technological societies. The British science fiction show The Tomorrow People featured tickling boots in the episode A Man for Emily. Tickling boots also appeared in several short story-plays on the Nickelodeon program Kids Writes.

• In the 1960s era comic book Magnus: Robot Fighter there is one instance of a weather control tower producing "Tickle Rain". People hid under transparent plastic domes that had handles on the inside, so that the first people who managed to get under the domes could hold the domes down from the inside and then watch the "unfortunate" others being tickled to helpless hysterics by the rain drops.

• In H. P. Lovecraft's short novel The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath the author describes nightgaunts—ebony-skinned, faceless, flying creatures that guard forbidden places from trespassers. When disturbed, the nightgaunts carry their victims away to unpleasant fates, tickling the poor captives into submission on the way. The more the captive struggles, the more he is tickled.

• In the VeggieTales episode Esther... The Girl Who Became Queen, which is based on the stories of the Biblical Book of Esther, instead of being executed by hanging—as described in the biblical book—offenders were instead exiled to 'The Island of Perpetual Tickling'.

• In the popular 1987 cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a minor villain named Don Turtelli, would frequently use tickling as a form of interrogation. When capturing a hostage, his normal procedure would be to tie the victim to a chair, bare feet propped up, and tickle the soles of their feet with a feather until the hostage told him what he wanted to know.

• A Star Trek audio story for children, entitled "To Starve a Fleaver", released in the 1970s and written by Alan Dean Foster, told the tale of the Starship Enterprise becoming infested with tiny parasites called meegees, which instead of drinking blood, feed on mirth expressed by their hosts. When a host isn't happy, the meegees move around and tickle their hosts to get them to laugh.

• In the SpongeBob SquarePants episode Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III, the villain Man Ray is kept from performing evil acts by a tickle belt.

• In an episode of Nickelodeon's My life as a Teenage Robot The main character xJ9 or Jenny, the crime fighting teenage robot, becomes aware of tickling and that she is unaffected. When she sees the joy of her friends' tickle fights, she acquires tickle nerve endings to apply to her robotic form. She soon finds that the nerve endings ultimately disrupt her crime fighting and she soon finds the need to abandon them. All though at the end of the episode it reveals that she kept one tickle nerve ending on her underarm so she can enjoy the sensation of a tickle when she so pleases.

Trout tickling is the art of rubbing the underbelly of a trout using fingers. ... Shakespeare redirects here. ... Twelfth Night has at least three meanings: Twelfth Night (holiday), celebrated by some Christians Twelfth Night, or What You Will, a comedic play by William Shakespeare Twelfth Night (band), a progressive rock band This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the... Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare. ... For other uses, see Poaching (disambiguation). ... Roald Dahl (IPA: ]) (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a Welsh novelist, short story writer and screenwriter, who rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults, and became one of the worlds bestselling authors. ... Danny, Champion of the World cover by Quentin Blake // Danny, the Champion of the World For the 1989 film, see Danny, the champion of the world (movie) Danny, the Champion of the World is a book for children by British author Roald Dahl about a boy called Danny Smith. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Tickling boots are devices mentioned in some science fiction literature as punishment-torture devices employed by certain technologically advanced races. ... The Tomorrow People is a childrens science fiction television series, devised by Roger Price and produced by Thames Television for Britains ITV network between 1973 and 1979. ... This article is about the TV channel. ... Kids Writes was an early program of the childrens network Nickelodeon, running from approximately 1981 to 1983. ... Cover to Magnus, Robot Fighter #0, 1992. ... For the geological process, see Weathering or Erosion. ... This article is about the author. ... The Dream Quest of Unkown Kadath is a short novel by H. P. Lovecraft, published in 1926, part of his dream cycle. ... Nightgaunts, in the Cthulhu Mythos, are servants of the Lord of the Abyss Nodens, and are creatures of the dreamlands. ... For other uses, see Ebony (disambiguation). ... VeggieTales is a series of English language childrens computer animated films featuring anthropomorphic vegetables and conveying moral themes based on Christianity and often compatible with Judaism. ... Esther. ... For other uses, see Bible (disambiguation). ... The Book of Esther is a book of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and of the Old Testament. ... For other uses, see Cartoon (disambiguation). ... On December 10, 1987, the first episode of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson Film Productions Inc. ... Bad guy redirects here. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... This article is about the entire Star Trek franchise. ... Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is a prolific American writer of science fiction and fantasy novels and movie novelizations. ... Enterprise or USS Enterprise are the names of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. ... For other uses, see Blood (disambiguation). ... It is proposed that this article be deleted, because of the following concern: Wikipedia is not a dictionary If you can address this concern by improving, copyediting, sourcing, renaming or merging the page, please edit this page and do so. ... This article is about the series. ... Production Order Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy III is a SpongeBob SquarePants episode from season two. ... Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are a superhero duo, who star on the fictional television series and are watched by characters on the Nickelodeon animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. ... Nickelodeon may refer to: Nickelodeon movie theater, an early 20th century form of small, neighborhood movie theaters Nickelodeon (film), a 1976 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich Nickelodeon (TV channel), a cable TV network whose demographic is primarily children and pre-teens in the United States. ...

See also

Look up tickle in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Knismesis and gargalesis
• Tickling fetishism (Acarophilia)
• Fur massage
• Tickle torture
• Tickle Me Elmo

Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 151 languages. ... Knismesis and gargalesis are the scientific terms, coined in 1897 by psychologists G. Stanley Hall and Arthur Allin,[1] used to describe the two types of tickling. ... Tickling fetishism is a paraphilia in which participants derive sexual stimulation from tickling, or being tickled by, another person. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Tickle torture is a form of torture where a victim is be subjected to tickling over a prolonged period of time. ... A first-generation Tickle Me Elmo stuffed toy. ...

References

A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Brian Sutton-Smith is a play theorist who has spent his lifetime attempting to discover the cultural significance of play in human life, arguing that any useful definition of play must apply to both adults and children. ... Categories: BDSM | Book publishers | Stub ... Sigmund Freud (IPA: ), born Sigismund Schlomo Freud (May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939), was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Henry Havelock Ellis (February 2, 1859 - July 8, 1939), known as Havelock Ellis, was a British doctor, sexual psychologist and social reformer. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

Further reading

• Carlsson K, Petrovic P, Skare S, Petersson KM, Ingvar M (2000). "Tickling expectations: neural processing in anticipation of a sensory stimulus". Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 12 (4): 691-703. doi:10.1162/089892900562318. PMID 10936920. 
• Fried I, Wilson CL, MacDonald KA, Behnke EJ (1998). "Electric current stimulates laughter". Nature 391 (6668): 650. doi:10.1038/35536. PMID 9490408. 
• Fry WF (1992). "The physiologic effects of humor, mirth, and laughter". JAMA 267 (13): 1857-8. doi:10.1001/jama.267.13.1857. PMID 1545471. 

A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

External links

• Telegraph (UK) Article on "robot tickling experiment"
• Boston Globe Online - Why are some people not ticklish?
• Article on being tickled to death from The Straight Dope
• Zen Tickling View tickling clips in high definition.