Tickling is an
evolved phenomenon, meant to
protect us from
wandering insects or
predators moving across our bodies
unexpectedly.
People are
ticklish in many or few areas of the
body, in particular the
feet,
stomach, or
armpits. People
can't tickle themselves, because it is an
expected action on the body. The
cerebellum portion of the
brain separates expected
reactions from
unexpected reactions, and acts
accordingly. Why
tickling reacts with
laughter is still a
scientific mystery, but many believe it is
nervous laughter and not
humour laughter.
So how can you
protect yourself from often
desirable, yet
unbearable tickle attacks? The process of
conditioning goes a long way in the
cure to
tickling. Let someone
tickle you, and try to put up with it.
Concentrate on not
reacting to the
tickling, and you can
eventually grow
comfortable with the
touch. You may still be
ticklish if the
tickling is a
surprise, but you should be able to
resist spasming and
laughing considerably.