There are some parts of the body where tickling starts when someone touches them and we laugh out loud, but when we tickle ourselves in those places, we do not laugh at all. So have you thought, about why this happens, what is the logic behind it?
This is the reason for tickling
Two parts of our brain are responsible for feeling tickles, the first is the somatosensory cortex. This part understands touch. The second is the anterior cingulate cortex. It works to understand happiness or any interesting feeling. So when we tickle ourselves, the cerebellum part of the brain already senses this and informs the cortex. In such a situation, the cortex prepared for tickling becomes aware in advance, due to which we do not feel tickled. The whole process of tickling depends on the surprise. Whenever someone tickles us all of a sudden, our brain is not prepared for it. Because of this, we laugh a lot.
What is the science behind tickling?
According to the scientist, tickling happens in two ways. The first is Nismesis. In this, if the body is lightly touched, the outer layer of the skin at that place called the epidermis transmits messages to the brain through the nerves. This causes a slight itching or burning sensation. The second is gargalesis, due to which a person laughs profusely by touching the stomach, armpit, or throat.
Tickling was a punishment
Now where tickling is used to make someone laugh, earlier it was used to torture people. There was also an article related to this in the British Medical Journal. Chinese tickle torture is a variation of this. During the reign of the Heian kings, Tikal Torture was given to the people sitting in high positions for minor mistakes. That is, it tickled and made to laugh a lot until the person who made the mistake was out of breath.
Tickling is also sometimes a sign of danger. The parts of our body which have more neurons, such as the abdomen, and the part between the thighs and abdomen, are very sensitive. Laughter starts just by touching these places. When tickled, our brain feels pleasure and mild pain at the same time. This makes the mind tense. This tension comes out in the form of uncontrollable laughter.
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