The human body is one of the most mysterious systems in nature, which has not yet been fully explored by humans. So, one of the unexplained phenomena is tickling. Why can it bring both pleasure and pain, and how true can the expression "tickle to death" be called?
The nature of tickling: basic theories
For some, tickling is comparable to pain, and for others it is a whole pleasure and bliss, but what is this strange phenomenon in itself?
There are two main versions of the origin of tickling:
The main and most recognized hypothesis is the hypothesis that tickling is a protective reaction of the body (skin) to external stimuli: animals and small insects. The ancient man lived for the most part without clothes, but nevertheless he knew how dangerous a beetle or a snake crawling where not to be could be, so he gradually developed a protective reflex, which was passed on to us without disappearing in the process of evolution.
The human nervous system still recognizes other people's touches in hidden parts of the body as something hostile, but since the rational component of the brain makes it clear that there is nothing hostile in these touches, the human body bursts into laughter, sometimes throwing out a small amount of endorphins.
Tickling laughter is of a nervous nature, not quite easily explainable from the point of view of science: tickling laughter is not caused by a funny situation, heard anecdote, or something like that - it arises simply on the basis of a protective reflex of the body.
The theory that tickling is a protective reflex allowed explaining why a person cannot tickle himself: the human brain understands that the human body cannot harm itself, which means that the whole effect of tickling is nullified.
The second, almost unrecognized variant of the origin of tickling is the hypothesis that during the evolution of the human nervous system, it (the nervous system) acquired a "border" zone between two main types of influence: pain and affection. This border zone is called tickling.
This theory has no scientific confirmation.
Tickle not to laugh
For many people, tickling is just a way of laughing, getting close to a person, or just fooling around.
For Nazi camps, tickling was a great form of torture: people were completely tied up, their feet were dipped in salt water, and then the goats were forced to lick the salt water, which in a minute or two began to cause painful sensations. Such torture did not become widespread, since it mostly affected the mental state of a person, and not the physical, but its existence has been confirmed.
From the point of view of science, one can die from laughter, but one cannot die from laughter caused by tickling, because the human body has the ability to control the receptors of its body, that is, over time, "block" the tickling effect.
Tickling became widespread not only among executioners, but also among lovers of sexual pleasures and sexual diversity. Thus, tickling is one of the most popular fetishes. Also, some people may get aroused at the sight of people tickling each other.
To explain such a fetish is simple - during tickling, if it is not intended to cause pain, endorphins and dopamines begin to be produced in the human body, which contribute to better sexual arousal.
