Why do we laugh
when we get tickled?
It is common knowledge
to all that when you get tickled by someone, you may start to laugh. This seems
strange as it is not possible to tickle yourself! To many, to get tickled is
not pleasant so why do we feel the need to laugh?
There are actually two
different types of tickling; gargalesis and knismesis.
Gargalesis is a type of
tickle which produces laughter and knismesis only causes an itching sensation.
It has been shown that
when we get touched by a tickling motion by another, our somatosensory cortex
and the anterior cingulated cortex get affected and these two create what we
know as the tickling sensation. We have millions of nerve endings under our
skin and when these get stimulated by touch for example, the message gets sent
to the brain and then processes it to know whether or not it is important. This
is why it is not possible to tickle ourselves as the brain knowns the action is
coming and this message therefore becomes an unnecessary piece of information
and doesn't react. As for when a different person does the same thing to us we
react differently as it is an exterior stimulation.
The reason why we laugh
when getting tickled is actually thought to be because it shows
"submission to the aggressor". With this said, it means that, as we
know, our most vulnerable places to get tickled are the places which are the
easiest to get hurt, like for example our necks and ribcage. This then shows
that these places are sensible and we know that we show be careful to not hurt
ourselves in these places.
In conclusion, when we
get tickled, our brain tells us to laugh as it is a sort of defense mechanism
and it also shows us where we are most sensitive. Tickling is therefore an
involuntary response to the exterior environment.
Resources:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/57808/why-do-we-laugh-when-were-tickledhttp://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/laugh-tickling2.htm
PRM
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