- Why are some areas more sensitive to tickling?
- Why can't I tickle myself?
- What is the use of tickling?
- Is tickling dangerous?
- Is it possible to die from tickling?
- Why do people react differently to tickling?
- How to stop tickling
- How to get rid of tickle phobia
Tickling is one of the factors of emotional connection between people. This is an unconditioned reflex that helps to respond to external stimuli. Not all people have a fear of tickling. Some may not respond to tickling. Sensitive people find tickling enjoyable, while others find it irritating.
Tickling can bring both negative and positive emotions
It is divided into two types - knismesis and gargalesis. Knismesis - tickling with a feather or blade of grass. Gargalesis is intense tickling with the fingers. The fear of being tickled by feathers is called pteronophobia.
Why are some areas more sensitive to tickling?
The most vulnerable parts of the body - the feet and armpits - react to tickling. It is there that there are nerve nodes, large blood vessels, and joints. Between the armpits there is the axillary vein and artery.
The neck, chest, and genital area are also sensitive areas. The carotid and vertebral arteries pass through the neck. They supply the brain with blood. The trachea is located in the neck area. Through it, air enters the lungs. Therefore, for these parts of the body, tickling is an irritant and a stimulant.
There are fewer nerve endings in other areas of the body. Therefore, they are less sensitive to tickling.
Conflicting reaction
By 6 months of age, babies respond to tickling with a smile. Tickling is no longer just a touch, but an interaction between parents and children. It is considered a form of affection and intimacy. At the same time, many people describe the feeling of tickling as unpleasant.
Various evolutionary explanations exist to explain the conflicting reactions to a tickle attack. This includes the hypothesis of strengthening the relationship between parents and children. Tickling can also be understood as playful combat training in which a person learns to protect sensitive parts of the body.
Aristotle was already interested in the phenomenon of tickling. He believed that man was the only creature that could be tickled, and he was wrong. Many other mammals also respond to tickling.
Psychologist Stanley Hall identified two types of tickling in 1897: knismesis and gargalesis. Knismesis is a slight tickling sensation that occurs when a feather or insect touches the skin. Knismesis is widespread in nature. Gargalesis - more forceful stroking of the skin, causing laughter.
Why can't I tickle myself?
A person distinguishes between unexpected and expected touches. When he is tickled, a defensive reaction to stimuli appears. This is laughter.
When someone tries to tickle themselves, a signal goes to the brain. A tomography study showed that the cerebellum blocks the reaction. He instantly analyzes the sensations on the fingers, the actions of the hands, and the body.
Additionally, it controls nerve endings. This is how the cerebellum warns the body about possible stimulation of the nervous system. Subsequently, the reaction is suppressed, and the expected sensations do not occur.
What is the use of tickling?
Psychologists say that tickling is a warning mechanism for the body. It protects - it forces you to pay attention to the object of irritation. They don't always tickle with fingers or a feather. Poisonous insects can be irritants. If they startle, a fear of tickling occurs.
Useful properties of tickling:
- According to psychotherapists, this is part of the highest level of interaction between people. It implies closeness and interest of people to each other. This is one of the forms of communication between a mother and a small child.
- She brings joy. The man laughs and feels pleasure. Laughter is a reflex reaction to stimuli.
- Laughter helps you lose weight. 20 minutes of sincere laughter burns 60 kcal. You can lose 5 kg in a year without dieting.
- Prevention of heart failure. Every day you need to tickle your ears for 10 minutes. Use gentle stimulation. Then the nerve signals decrease. This speeds up the heart's work.
Tickling provides sexual pleasure. This is one of the options for foreplay in sexual relations. In this way you can bring your partner to orgasm. Touches should be gentle and sensual.
Some people enjoy tickling their partner. Others enjoy watching someone get tickled. If a person has knismolagnia (sexual arousal from tickling), such foreplay takes the form of sexual fetishism. Therefore, you need to know when to stop.
Knismolagnia - sexual arousal from tickling
Does self-hypnosis play a role?
It is also assumed that suspicious, vulnerable, sensitive individuals prone to self-hypnosis may be especially afraid of tickling. They do not suffer from any diseases, and their skin is not hypersensitive - the fact is that they themselves have programmed themselves to certain reactions.
Often, when a person is tickled, we see the following picture: he squirms, tries to pull away, laughs. You can see this everywhere: on TV, on the pages of books and magazines, in real life. And many people simply pick up and adopt this manner of behavior, without even thinking about how ticklish and funny they really are.
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This is another answer to the question of why people are afraid of tickling. The reason for laughter and attempts to evade can be the mere words that such an influence will now begin. Of course, the reaction of laughter in this case will only appear when the person touching evokes positive emotions.
Sometimes, for example, this is how a girl flirts with a guy she likes. In other cases, a suspicious person may become seriously frightened and even panic.
Is tickling dangerous?
Most scientists talk about the benefits of tickling, but it can be harmful. Previously, it was used as torture on troublemakers: tied to a bed and tickled with bird feathers, straw or dry grass.
There was another method. The criminal's feet were dipped in salt water. After that, the goat licked them. She has a rough tongue. She used it to tickle the person. For the first 5-10 minutes he could enjoy such an action, then he experienced pain. The man was writhing in agony and could die from an excess of emotions and nervous tension.
Is it possible to die from tickling?
Theoretically this is possible. According to scientists, tickling is a passive protective reaction of the body to irritants. Although the person does not experience severe pain, the brain perceives the tickling as a threat. Laughter is not at all an indicator of pleasure or fun. This is a signal that a person wants to get rid of this condition, a reaction to overstrain of the nervous system.
Doctors have found that in the process of tickling a person becomes hyperexcitable. Every light touch causes muscle cramps and spasms. There is a slight fear. The longer the tickling lasts, the stronger the fear will be.
The body tenses to eliminate the stimulus. The tickle victim may suffocate and die. But this only applies to those who have respiratory problems. There are no recorded cases of death from tickling.
“Tickling is an art. Not everyone has it." 5 stories of fetishists
Tickling - getting pleasure from tickling
Tickler - someone who likes to tickle
Tiklya - the one who is tickled
Switch - universal
Alexey, 40 years old, Moscow:
The need to tickle someone began in kindergarten. I remember holding the girl’s leg, and she laughed and said: “Well, hva-a-atit!” For a long time I felt lonely: I only met the first girl who enjoyed the process when I was 25 years old.
I am from that generation for whom tikling seemed abnormal. It’s not that there was no special forum, there was no Internet at all. The first Russian resource on this topic appeared in 2001. The foundations of the tikling movement in Russia were laid by two people: Lekha-tikler (also called Boss) and me. He was the first. And the first Moscow thematic video was with him. Then we also started filming, with our members of the forum. The procedure is simple. You find a model, find a place, choose a ticker - and off you go! You can think through scenarios, but people don’t need it: everyone understands that this is fiction, the acting is very mediocre. But the naturalness of the reactions is good. I always tested the girls first: I met them, examined their paws and tried ticking. With a girl who doesn't want to be stroked affectionately, tikling can only happen once.
Tikling is present in my life in waves: sometimes it dominates, sometimes it’s in the back of my mind. I can live without it, but I wouldn’t want to. My other half does not accept tikling, so I have to lead a double life. I do everything so that these aspects of life do not intersect. And so it is for many people. But some were more fortunate: they managed to introduce forum members into their closest circle of friends and family.
I prefer foot tickling, but I can’t call myself a foot fetishist. The combination of tikling with sex is possible, but this is a different level of relationship. There is no sex within the tikling mainstream, but if the girl wants, if there is mutual sympathy, I can help with my hands. It's very fun to combine the two processes. It’s sad that lately everything has been somehow emasculated: beginners immediately invite the girl from the topic to take up tikling, and then they are very surprised when they are sent. People’s reasoning goes like this: “Well, you like tickling, don’t you? And I love. So let's go." This approach is typical for boys. Immediately suggesting tikling is indecent and rude. It's like asking a girl you just met for sex.
Igor, 32 years old, Ufa:
Tickling is an art. Not everyone has it. I call tickling a caress on the verge of feelings: you stroke it, it doesn’t tickle, you press it a little differently, a little harder, and it tickles, but if it’s too hard, it hurts.
I have liked tickling since childhood. I'm shy, I was afraid to pester girls. But the incident with a distant relative stuck with me for the rest of my life. We were probably 10 years old. We were fooling around and lying on the sofa. I don’t remember why exactly, but she said: “But I’m not afraid of tickles!” I froze at first, then I realized that this was exactly what I needed. I don’t believe it, I say, and she: “Everyone is afraid, but I’m not!” I suggested she check it out. She lay down on her back, raised her arms, and with a sinking heart, I began to quietly tickle her sides. She lies calmly, I tickle her armpits - and still calm. He began to move his fingers harder and faster, saw a smile on her face and began to tickle her stomach more boldly. She couldn't stand it, turned over and covered herself with her hands. My hesitation went away and I straddled her and put my hands under her. There was a lot of squealing and laughter. I don’t know how long I tickled, but the adults stopped us and told us not to make any noise.
As an adult, I found a thematic site on the Internet and realized that I was not the only one. I've been in this topic for more than 10 years. I only tickle girls. I meet them on the Internet. Girls' tummy is usually very tender and sensitive. It’s a special thrill if a girl is afraid of tickling in the navel area. I use my fingers, feathers, brushes, combs - the more ticklish I am, the more I tickle. Sometimes I tie up girls, but it’s more like an addition. The session does not necessarily end with sex; it is also very good without it.
Tikling occupies a big place in my life: this pleasure is no less important than sex. I dream of finding a girl who would love tickling as much as I do. But for now I’m hiding my fetish: my friends don’t know, my relatives don’t know either, only the girls I met on thematic sites know.
Natalya, 37 years old, Saratov:
In high school I did martial arts. The group included children aged 10–11 years. If someone your age hits you, you can hit him back, but you can’t hit him back with a child, so we caught them and tickled them. At that age, I myself was also wildly afraid of tickling. My mother drove me out of the chair when we shared it. Now I’m practically insensitive to her, but I like to tickle others.
In 2004–2005, I came across a thematic forum. It was interesting for me to communicate with like-minded people. There are a lot of foot fetishists on the forums, but somehow feet don’t bother me; I’m more interested in the general reaction of the body to tickling. Once I agreed on a forum to meet a man. We met in Moscow. After another six months, I saved up some money and came again. I did several trial sessions. Very quickly I found out that a person who is afraid of tickling not only dodges, he also unconsciously fights off. When a man does this, he becomes a big deal, so bondage is a must.
Ticklers are divided into soft and extreme. I am an extreme tickler who will not stop simply because he was told: “Stop!” No need!" I decide for myself whether it is necessary or not.
I prefer it when a man is stripped down to his underpants so that different parts of the body are accessible. It is clear that adults almost always have an erotic component, but in my sessions there is no sex. I warn you about this in advance. And I also try not to take tickles over 45 years old. Tickling is always a strain on the heart. I won’t take a person for a session who has heart problems; I don’t want to think during the process whether it’s a heart attack or not. There is a risk that a person may suffocate, but these are extremes and should not be taken to them.
In my profile on the thematic website there is a note “I don’t need financial support, but I won’t refuse.” But I don’t really need money. If I go to a session, the meeting place is the host's problem. No “let’s chip in” options. Sometimes people give me devices that can be used for tickling. But this note is intended to scare away inadequate freeloaders who think that I almost have to pay them.
The man I've been with for many years knows that I'm into tikling. He doesn't like tickling, so we don't do anything like that with him. Tikling is a rather rare entertainment for me. Sessions happen a maximum of 2-3 times a year, most often on location. Tickling is not a major part of my life. For me, this is just a hobby, like sports, for example, but I was more interested in sports. I don’t even know what to compare it with. Well, it's like watching a TV series.
Ruslan, 29 years old, Khabarovsk:
I am very afraid of tickling and love it very much - it is an unbearable pleasure. I prefer to be tickled by girls, but not against guys. I’ve been involved in the topic since college: I found groups dedicated to tikling on social networks, began to study comments, watch videos and fell in love with this business. Here in Khabarovsk, unlike Moscow and St. Petersburg, this topic is practically not developed. That year I met a tickler and went to her for a session in Moscow. I was tied up and tickled with various devices. At first we filmed it for about an hour. After filming, the tickler tormented me for another 2 hours. It was indescribable: I was squirming like I was in a frying pan. I also did some virtual tickling. It was funny. When real life is impossible, virtual sometimes saves you. But in general, I'm looking for a switch girl who is afraid of tickling and is ready to tickle herself.
I corresponded with one American woman from the topic. She said that she works in an agency where clients are tickled. And this is not uncommon there. Once upon a time, Moscow massage parlors also provided tacking services - a tickling session for nervousness. Now for some reason it’s no longer there, which is a pity.
I don't particularly advertise my hobby. I can tell the girls, but my guy friends don’t know about it. Girls like that I'm ticklish. They love to take advantage of this: for example, I don’t want to tell something, but they tell me that they will tickle me until I tell it. If I'm tickled, I'll confess to absolutely everything, even things I've never done. It’s impossible to touch me - I immediately jump, I’m very sensitive. Tickling is fun and, most importantly, not painful. Try it yourself. Many were indifferent, but then they tried it and got involved.
Alexey, 36 years old, Moscow:
I developed an interest in feet when I was three years old. I loved playing with my mother's feet back then. At the age of fifteen I realized that I liked not only to caress my feet, but also to tickle them a little. When I was about twenty, I periodically came to visit my neighbor in the stairwell. We communicated well. One evening I stayed with her, and she got ready to sleep and went to bed. I sat next to her and asked if I could lick her toes. She grinned: “What, have you gone crazy?” Then I explained everything to her, and she agreed. This was my first fetish experience.
The girls I dated were okay with my fetish. Once a girl invited me to her home on the first date. She didn't look like a whore, she was a decent girl. I didn’t tell her anything, I just started caressing her legs. She didn't mind. It all ended with sex. Another girl I met on a regular dating site, as it turned out, had dated a foot fetishist before me. Sometimes I go to meetings with forum members - ticklers and foot fetishists. We're just communicating. Sometimes there are themed meetings in rented apartments.
Because of my interest in feet, I went to work as a sales assistant in a shoe store. But there was nothing like that there. I also worked in a store as a database operator, and there I practiced foot fetishism in a mild form, stroking the feet of my female colleagues, for example. And in general I talked with my employees about this topic.
About six months ago I started thinking about my fetish. This was the only time I got so seriously tense and even wrote on the forum that I didn’t want to be a pervert. It was some kind of rethinking of my life after contemplating myself, my essence. But now time has passed, I have relaxed, and my fetish does not bother me. My sexual interest sets me apart from the crowd of standard people, but I never felt lonely.
The film Tickled can be seen on May 26 at the Beat Film Festival at the Karo Oktyabr cinema.
How to stop tickling
Place your hand on the hand of the person who is tickling. A signal will go to your brain that you are tickling yourself. And then the sensitivity will decrease and the unpleasant sensations will go away. The main thing is to catch the tickler's hand. This method is often used by pediatricians when examining the abdomen in children.
To stop tickling, you need to catch the tickler's hand.
Simple rules
In total, we can highlight a few basic rules on how to stop being afraid of tickling.
- You need to constantly train. For example, ask a friend or relative to periodically tickle themselves in a certain area. You can influence it yourself using a soft object. During this process, you need to practice distraction exercises. This method will help you get used to this state and understand which relaxation method will help more.
- You should always perceive tickling as something very pleasant, capable of bringing the most positive emotions. The brain will automatically remember this setting. During exposure to a certain point, it will give appropriate signals.
- Periodically you need to do breathing exercises, it will help you cope with a wide variety of emotions.
There are people who constantly have a panicky fear of tickling. Even in a calm state, they experience severe discomfort. In this case, you need to contact a psychotherapist, he will conduct a course of relaxation therapy that will help you cope with this condition.
