We usually associate tickling with a sense of fun, laughter, and intimacy. What causes positive feelings associated with tickling? And do you know that she may use a method of torture?
In a report in the Spanish magazine "Psyclochia i Minti", the writer Jennifer Delgado Sórez said that the psychologists Arthur Allen and Stanley Hall classified the tickling into two types in 1987. The first category is called light tickling, which is a light feeling that occurs in a reaction to the body's contact with something, and is very similar to itching or Tingling can be unpleasant. We can feel tickle when touching the pen, as this type does not cause laughter.
It seems that this tickling is considered an evolutionary delay that would allow us to take an immediate reaction to a possible danger such as keeping the spider or any other insect walking on our bodies, where we can scratch ourselves in this case to eliminate this danger.
In fact, a study by the University of Tübingen revealed that tickling also stimulates the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that leads to a primitive desire to try to escape from danger.
And the writer added that the second type is called heavy tickling, which results from someone touching sensitive areas in another person’s body more frequently and more severely than light tickling. This tickle in humans generates pleasant feelings and a wave of laughter. It is also believed that heavy tickling works to strengthen social relations so that we feel more secure and communicate with people, while living in a hostile external world.
According to neuroscientists, the cause of these positive feelings resulting from tickling is mainly in dopamine, where this neurotransmitter is released when tickling one of them, which is essential in the rewards system in the brain and plays an important role in the process of laughter.
Scientists have also come to define what we might call "tickle neurons" that are found in the somatosensory cortex of the brain and do not participate in the sense of touch, but also play an important role in managing our mood.
Why was it found?
The writer indicated that it is clear that tickling - especially heavy - has an emotional and social aspect of great importance. Therefore, we usually associate it with the concept of banter and game. It should be noted that many neurons are activated by tickling during various gaming activities.
In this sense, we can consider tickling a trick produced by the brain to demonstrate the importance and benefits of playing and interacting with others. On the other hand, tickling at an early age reinforces the emotional bonds between parents and their children. Usually siblings later resort to tickling not only to create emotional relationships, but also as a violent reaction or with the aim of disturbing others.
The writer indicated that tickling in this case plays an important role in teaching children how to develop their defensive skills by teaching them to protect the most vulnerable parts of the body. If we paid a little attention to this, we would discover that we usually take defensive positions when someone tries to tickle us. However, tickling is not only an essential component of strengthening social relationships, it can also help us better cope with life's problems and easily overcome obstacles.
The author stated that a study - conducted at the Foundation for the Advancement of International Sciences in the Japanese city of Tsukuba - found that tickling helps us to overcome difficult situations and to feel less fear than usual. Most importantly, we will be able to recover from that negative experience faster. Generally, neuroscientists have proven that tickling acts as a type of protective shield. Therefore, the level of adrenaline in the blood usually decreases as we can remain calm when faced with fearful situations.
Do we tickle ourselves?
The author stated that tickling leads to a severe response to areas of the body that are not directly related to the sensitivity of the skin. The most areas of the body that interact with tickling are the palm of the hand, the armpits, the soles of the feet and other areas where the skin is less sensitive than others. On the other hand, the factor of surprise and surprise also affects tickling, which is one of the reasons why we cannot tickle ourselves because we are aware of the exact area that we will touch.
A group of researchers at University College in London concluded that the cerebellum impedes the activity of the anterior cingulate cortex when we try to tickle ourselves, as if it were telling you that there is no need for a laughter reaction because it is a self-originating stimulus. Scientists have also proven that the body does not interact with tickling in times of extreme anxiety, which confirms the validity of Charles Darwin's observations that "the mind must be in a pleasant state until the tickle makes him laugh."
Torture "without mercy"
Many cultures use tickling as a method of torture. For example, tickling is said to have been used as a punishment reserved for the nobility, as it leaves no marks on the victim and the person from the Chinese Han dynasty can recover quickly.
Moreover, the Japanese called "merciless tickling" this type of torture. Moreover, during the era of ancient Rome, the feet of the punished are immersed in brine and then bound and brought with a goat licking solution on the feet of the punished. At first, the person feels little tingling. As time goes on, it becomes very painful.
The writer stated that tickling can produce severe physiological reactions ranging from vomiting, incontinence, or loss of consciousness due to the inability to breathe. However, tickling is an excellent way to activate the emotional connection mechanism with the people around us when they arise in an intimate environment in which people feel comfortable.