What Makes You Amused When Certain Body Parts Are Touched? This Is The Fact

Illustration of why people are always ticklish (iStockphoto)

JAKARTA – Have you ever laughed because you were amused to the point of crying when someone touched a sensitive area of your body? Some people do feel tingling when touched in sensitive points such as the armpits, legs, waist, neck, and stomach. But there are also those who don't feel ticklish, you know.

There are a number of opinions that explain what makes a person ticklish. A theory reported by Healthline, Saturday, March 19, that tickling evolved as a defense mechanism to protect vulnerable areas of the body. It also refers to obedience and another theory holds that tickling promotes social bonding.

Scientifically, being tickled can stimulate the hypothalamus, the area of the brain responsible for emotional reactions and the fight-or-flight response to pain. When you are tickled, laugh not because you are happy but because you have an autonomous emotional response. Even when tickled, they often imitate the movements of a terminally ill person.

Illustration of why people are always ticklish (iStockphoto)

Other studies have shown that pain and touch nerve receptors are triggered during tickling. People who are tickled laugh as hard as they are tickled. According to researchers, there are two types of tickling. The first is gargalesis, which causes laughter when someone touches a ticklish area of your body. This laughter can not be broken if done alone.

Second, knitism is tingling caused by light movements of the skin. Usually does not cause laughter and may be self-inflicted. It can also be defined as itching or tingling.

Uniquely, tingling in babies will be felt after the age of 4 months. There is even a new response with laughter around the age of 6 months. Scientists explain this, that the sensation of being tickled is actually felt by babies. But they, babies, don't know where it comes from. Then as their senses develop, they respond to tickling after seeing, smelling, and hearing.

Well, what needs to be noticed for parents who like to tickle their children, this actually encourages emotional bonding. But like adults, they may laugh but not enjoy it. Gently stroking the baby's feet or rubbing his tummy, maybe it's okay. But serious tickles have to wait until they're old enough to have a chance to respond autonomously.

The spectrum of essential tickles has limitations. That is, you can not force people to hold back amused even laugh out of amusement. This also applies to children. When it's uncomfortable to be tickled, it means you need to stop tickling. There is no definite explanation as to why some are sensitive to touch so they feel tingly and some are not. Because this is related to the physiological reasons of ASMR or autonomous sensory meridian response.