why cant you tickle yourself?

Answer 1

When someone else tickles us, our somatosensory cortex, the region in our brain that helps interpret external stimuli, signals the rest of the body to react. When we tickle ourselves, however, the somatosensory cortex gets signals from another region of the brain to remain inactive because the touch is coming from our own hands.

The culprit is the cerebellum, an area in the back of the brain responsible for controlling voluntary movement and predicting its consequences. Researchers have found that when subjects attempt to tickle themselves, the cerebellum forecasts what will result from the movement and signals the rest of the brain to ignore the resulting sensation. Some physicians use this knowledge when they examine extremely ticklish patients by having the patients put their own hands over the doctor's to trick the brain into expecting the touch.

Scientists have long believed that tickling evolved in early man as a defense mechanism to alert the body when foreign and potentially dangerous objects were touching it. That helps explain why we're ticklish in our most vulnerable spots, such as the belly, which covers many major organs, and the neck, which houses the vital jugular vein.

Answer 2

Ticklng stimulates nerve endings. When you tickle yourself, your brain is aware, even though you aren't, of what nerves are going to be touched. Therefore it is prepared for the stimulus. When someone else tickles you, your nerves are shocked because you never know where the tickling will occur.

Ask someone to tickle you in a specific area with a specific movement. Chances are, you won't be as ticklish because you expect it.

Answer 3

the brain is trained to know what to feel when a person moves or performs any function. We aren't aware of a lot of the sensations generated by our movements. For example, you probably don't pay much attention to your vocal cords when you speak. For the same reason, we can't tickle ourselves. If we grab our sides in an attempt to tickle ourselves, our brain anticipates this contact from the hands and prepares itself for it. By taking away the feeling of unease and panic, the body no longer responds the same as it would if someone else were to tickle us.

Answer 4

Because your expecting it. A tickle is like a reflex action

Answer 5

Your muscles tense in preparation for it. However, there is one place on your body where you can tickle yourself - the roof of your mouth.

Answer 6

you can tickle your own lips

Answer 7

cause ur mind is expecting it,u cant fool ur own mind

Answer 8

You can. try your feet.

Answer 9

i can try harder

Answer 10

Uh... I can.