Tickling: What is it, how does it make us feel, and why does that matter?
Our grandfather was a Nebraska farmer his whole life, an uncomplicated, quiet man with an easy smile and a gentle soul. After our grandmother passed away, he visited us every year. By the time we really got to know him, he was already in his 80s.
The most fun I remember having with our grandpa — besides riding on his tractor and playing rummy — was when he tickled us. He would get up from his chair, making a growling noise and snapping crab-like claws (his thumb and fingers), “chasing” us around our living room. Moving only one or two steps at a time, he didn’t go far. He didn’t have to. We ran just within his reach so we could get caught and get tickled over and over again. We would laugh, giggle, scream, cry…. then go back for more.
This game didn’t last very long, because I’m sure it wore our grandpa out. Or our mother would tell us to quiet down. But from it, we received physical pleasure, forming a bond with a man we trusted and loved.
Tickling is the act of touching a sensitive place on another person’s body, most often with the element of surprise, causing different responses, including but not limited to pleasure, irritation, pain, stimulation, or excitement.
Normally, tickling is caused by an outside force. This could be another person or some unseen object, like a feather. It has to come from some other source, for we do not experience the same sensation when we tickle ourselves. Tickling can be as delicate as a blade of grass lightly stroking our wrist, or as intense as fingers digging deeply into our sides just under the ribcage.
Tickling differs from other types of touching such as massaging, rubbing, petting, patting, stroking and simply squeezing, because it is an unexpected way of making physical contact with another person’s most sensitive or vulnerable body parts. These may include under the arms, the bottoms of the feet, behind the knees, tops of the knees, the inner thigh, the neck, the abdomen, and the genital area. (Ticklers seem to have an innate sense about where to touch to bring about the most impactful reaction.)
Tickling almost always comes as a surprise. Without the element of suddenness, it isn’t as shocking, or as pleasurable, for the person tickling… or the one receiving.
Being ticklish is not just a human trait.
Animals are ticklish as well. We see this with our pets. When we rub a tender spot on our dog’s back or belly, he begins to scratch at the location with his hind leg. Cats also respond to tickling by seizing the tickling hand within their paws, often digging in with their sharp claws.
A dog will attempt to scratch away the source of his tickling sensation. The cat tries to end it by holding the tickling hand or object tightly within its clutches.
Tickling isn’t necessarily uncomfortable.
Tickling, then, can be a source of irritation or discomfort, but not to the extreme. The dog normally doesn’t bite at the hand rubbing its back too quickly. Cats usually react playfully. The response they have to tickling is more of an avoidance, like brushing away a fly, or moving the body so as not to be subject to further stimulation.
The same is true with humans. When we are tickled, we squirm away from the motion. It feels “funny,” alerting nerve endings that aren’t normally touched. We may laugh, because we enjoy the attention another person is giving, or we scream out of shock and surprise.
If the tickling is unwanted, we may — like a cat — bat at the hand causing the sensation or, figuratively, extend our “claws,” verbally reprimanding the tickler. We may simply move away from the source of the irritation.
Why humans react in different ways to any kind of tickling is a complex and interesting topic. What is equally interesting is why some enjoy tickling immensely, while others are averse to that kind of touching. And not all humans consider themselves to be ticklish. (Interestingly, there is no significant difference in reactions to tickling between genders, especially among children.)
What purpose does tickling serve?
Tickling has been studied by many great thinkers, including Plato, Galileo and Darwin. It has been proposed that tickling may be a sort of preparation for future combat, in that the body learns to involuntarily protect vulnerable areas. However, babies move their limbs when tickled, so this theory could be disproved as — simply — a nerve response.
Something crawling across your foot tickles. Without thinking, you naturally react by shaking your foot. (If you look down and see a spider or an insect, you will probably begin jumping up and down and screaming.) Reacting to tickling could be some inborn way our bodies have to signal danger, in case that crawling critter is poisonous or harmful in some other way. Naturally, we would shake off the unwanted creature. In most cases, we move or shrink away from the sensory stimulus.
But why do we get pleasure from tickling? Is it simply one benefit of having more sensitive nerve cells in certain areas?
Why does it feel so good for some to be tickled? Is it being touched “in fun” by another human? Caressed or poked unexpectedly by a person that we love, causing us to laugh as we are making contact with them, is that what makes it so pleasurable?
We could compare it to orgasm, a very pleasurable sensation. Those that have experienced orgasm may feel just as much pleasure from tickling. And tickling may lead to orgasm. Perhaps being ticklish has much to do with how comfortable we are receiving pleasure.
Is the gratification we get from tickling something that makes us want to continue being close with the person that tickled us, whether that be a friend, a family member, or a sexual partner?
Or is tickling just a quirky thing we do to each other in a moment of teasing? Is it simply a nerve response.
Tickling is part of human relationships.
There are many questions about tickling, and possible answers to these questions are many. No matter the answers, tickling is an act between two people.
We’ve discovered three situations where this very special kind of touching should be examined in more depth:
- Tickling as a natural bonding mechanism between caregiver and child;
- Tickling as a playful gesture among peers; and
- Tickling as a means of inducing or creating sexual pleasure.
Tickling a child can be a great way to make that child happy. It is one way of playing that can almost guarantee bouts of laughter, and accompanying temporary happiness. It seems natural for a parent or caregiver to want to enjoy silly moments with their children. No matter what age, tickling can be a sure-fire way to get someone to laugh.
But it shouldn’t be overdone. We know from experience that too much of something reduces its value. Also, tickling too much can cause physical or emotional pain. In fact, tickling has been used as a means of torture in some societies.
Tickling between friends or peers, no matter their age, is a commonplace event. And can be healthy.
Perhaps we want to change the mood of someone who is feeling down, so we give them a playful jab in the belly. Or we get their attention by tickling a part of their body that isn’t normally touched, such as a knee or an inner arm. We squeeze their shoulder from behind to let them know we are there, and the person is usually surprised into shrugging. These are all forms of tickling.
High school boys may find it fun and entertaining to “twist the nipple” of one of their male peers, inciting the same reaction as they would if they were to pull on a friend’s ear. The kind of camaraderie among friends is reinforced by human touch. In the awkward pre-teen and teenage years, sensitive and gentle touching isn’t as commonplace as a punch in the arm or a squeeze of the belly.
These tickling tactics may or may not work, but there is something about physical touch that is comforting to the receiver. And good for the giver. Touching another human can be beneficial.
“Our bodies are designed to respond to touch, and not just to sense the environment around us. We actually have a network of dedicated nerve fibers in our skin that detect and emotionally respond to the touch of another person — affirming our relationships, our social connections and even our sense of self.” — Mary Halton, Science Journalist
In the bedroom
Finally, tickling in a sexual manner can be erotic and exciting.
Our most sensitive body parts are also those that bring us enjoyment during the act of lovemaking. Stimulating these sensitive areas causes a physical reaction that may lead to more excitement. Every adult store on the planet sells tools and devices made just for this purpose.
Simply making your partner laugh with an unplanned squeeze or poke somewhere they weren’t expecting may be enough to make them yearn for more of your touch. Lightening the mood after an argument with a teasing tickle may help you “get lucky,” changing the course of an evening from one where you sleep back to back to one where you touch each other all night long.
