If You Hate Being Tickled, Here's Why

Not everyone finds tickling a fun and pleasurable experience. In fact, many people are quick to shut down any attempts at tickling because they don't find it enjoyable at all. For those who have always been more sensitive to ticklish sensations, the prospect of being tickled alone can elicit a strong negative reaction. But if people don't necessarily enjoy being tickled, then why do we instinctively smile and erupt into fits of giggles? Researchers have established several theories to explain this common yet uncomfortable response to tickling, including connections to the body's safety reflexes, pain response, and social evolution.

Psychiatrist Donald Black theorized that the defensive response to tickling helps you protect sensitive areas of the body, such as the neck, belly, and flank. Following this theory's logic, an individual with strong physical reflexes feels greater sensitivity to tickling. What's more, as we are most ticklish in these vulnerable areas, researchers at the University of Tübingen in Germany proposed that — from an evolutionary perspective — early humans would have tickled their children to teach them the appropriate response to danger, according to the Daily Mail. Therefore, the laughter response originally served as an acknowledgment of submission and defeat. In this case, teasing children with a round of "here comes the tickle monster" takes on a darker, less playful meaning. These theories reveal why you might hate tickling, but there's even more going on psychologically and physiologically when someone is tickled — and, honestly, it explains a lot. From tickling activating pain and stress responses in the brain to the sensation of losing control, let's dive into the science behind the widespread aversion to tickling. 

According to research conducted at the University of Tübingen in 2013, tickling another person activates the areas of the brain responsible for feeling pain and the "fight or flight" response. 'When you tickle someone, you actually stimulate the unmyelinated nerve fibers that cause pain,' founder of Chicago's Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation Dr. Alan Hirsch tells the Daily Mail. When someone is being tickled or laughing, this activates a region of the brain known as the Rolandic Operculum, which plays a role in emotional processing and physical reactions, such as facial expressions and vocal responses. However, tickling also stimulates the hypothalamus, which signals the production of the hormone cortisol. The body produces high cortisol levels to prepare for stressful situations where you may need to flee from danger.

Another theory found that even if someone doesn't enjoy being tickled, they will smile and laugh to relieve tension, according to associate professor at the University of California's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Dr. Alan Fridlund. "People automatically equate laughter with humor and play, but we also may laugh at funerals and at times of extreme tension and anxiety. The smile that occurs with laughter may be our way of adjusting our vocal tracts for the high-pitched giggles and shrieks we emit," Dr. Fridlund tells Vice. This explains why we may also laugh and smile during stressful social interactions. 

Professor Alan Fridlund suggests that highly anxious people may experience a stronger reaction to unsolicited touch and are less likely to enjoy the anticipation or surprise element involved in a spontaneous tickle attack, per Vice. The lack of control in this situation may cause those with anxiety to feel stressed or overwhelmed.

Moreover, research conducted by neuroscientist Dr. Robert Provine revealed that gender doesn't affect ticklishness — but it does affect outward responses. "Men are more notably insisting that they aren't ticklish, but that generally is not true. When put to the test, men are ticklish, too. I think by admitting you're ticklish, this would suggest you would be under the control of someone else, and I think men would be less likely than women to admit that," says Dr. Provine.

Does this mean that we should put an end to this deeply ingrained social ritual? Dr. Fridlund recommends watching the other person's reaction for signs of discomfort, such as grimacing. He explains that intense tickling sessions may also cause cataplexy, a brief loss of muscle control or paralysis. "At that point, the laughter is no longer the usual social laughter that accompanies play, but just a spasmodic reflex that the body uses to release tension," Dr. Fridlund tells The New York Times. This applies to adults, too, so if someone verbally or physically expresses their discomfort, it's safe to say they're not enjoying the experience and you should respect their boundaries.