why cant we tickle ourselfs?

Question

ya know what i mean its such a great sensation when yr bein tickled but why cant we tickle ourself any idea's

Answer 1

British scientists say they've solved a mystery that's been puzzling scientists for years – why can't people tickle themselves?

The Daily Telegraph in London reported Monday that the secret lies in the cerebellum, the region of the brain that monitors movement.

Researchers at University College London found that the cerebellum detects self-inflicted touch ahead of time and tells the rest of the brain to ignore the resulting sensation, spoiling the fun of self-tickling.

The UCL team used magnetic-resonance imaging to scan the brains of 16 volunteers who were tickled by a machine and by themselves. The robotic tickler was far more effective because the brain wasn't able to sense when the tickle was coming.

The team then tried letting the volunteers tickle their right hands by activating the robot with their left hands. When the researchers delayed the movement of the machine by a few hundredths of a second they found the volunteers still couldn't tickle themselves.

But when the delay was increased to longer than one fifth of a second, the self-tickling worked.

UCL's Dr. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore says the brain's downplay of sensation to self-touch is a survival mechanism that's evolved so the brain pays proper attention to stimuli from potential predators.

Answer 2

Tickling is about connection and socialization. You can't socialize with yourself. When you laugh at being tickled it shows that you enjoy having fun with the other people.

Answer 3

I'm sorry but i can tickle myself and it is more pleasant than someone tickling me as i hate to be tickled by someone else and plus i know what i like.

Answer 4

the only place u can tickle ur self is the back of the mouth with ur tongue :)
try it

Answer 5

Have you ever fell asleep on your arm and its gone dead, like a dead weight>?
I did and I thought I had had a stroke, Jesus.
Well anyway, try doing it then with your dead arm cos your body won't know what you are doing and neither will your arm!
ta dah!

Answer 6

lol because you are prepared for the tickling

Answer 7

take your tongue and tickle the roof of your mouth, gets you all tingly!

Answer 8

because you know that it is coming, you anticipate the sensation and are only left disapointed

Answer 9

because the nerve ends in your fingers take away any feeling from the rest of you.

Answer 10

http://health.howstuffworks.com/question511.htm