This is pretty self explanatory, why can other people tickle you on the bottom of your foot or under your armpit or in the sides but if you do it to yourself it doesn't do anything to you?
2007-03-18 15:33:16 · 13 answers · asked by Franklin Bluth 1 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
"Knismesis may in fact represent a vestige of the primitive grooming response, in effect; knismesis serves as a “non-self detector” and protects the subject against foreign objects. Perhaps due to the importance of knismesis in protection, this type of tickle is not dependent on the element of surprise and it is possible for one to induce self-knismesis, by light touching."
"Gargalesis, on the other hand, produces an odd phenomenon, when a person touches “ticklish” body parts on their own bodies, most people measure no tickling sensation. It is thought that the tickling requires a certain amount of surprise, and because tickling one’s self produces no unexpected motion on the skin, the response is not activated. A recent analysis of the “self-tickle” response has been addressed using MRI technology. Blakemore and colleagues have investigated how the brain distinguishes between sensations we create for ourselves and sensations others create for us. When the subjects used a joystick to control a "tickling robot", they could not make themselves laugh. This suggested that when a person tries to tickle him- or herself, the cerebellum sends to the somatosensory cortex precise information on the position of the tickling target and therefore what sensation to expect. Apparently an unknown cortical mechanism then decreases or inhibits the tickling sensation. A small percentage of people however, have found it possible to tickle themselves."
2007-03-18 15:47:41 · answer #1 · answered by luckyme 2 · 2⤊ 6⤋
The element of surprise is what makes a tickle, tickle.
You can't really surprise yourself with a tickle.
Good luck.
2007-03-18 22:41:01 · answer #2 · answered by Croa 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
When the nerve endings in your foot interact with the ones in your hand, the brain takes this as a double interaction, or a negative, so the signal is intercepted before it reaches the receptors in your brain. When another person does it, the nerves in....oh, who am I kidding? I have no darn idea!
2007-03-18 22:40:21 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actuallly you can. I saw a tutorial on the Internet. Get one of those click pen that click the ink in an out. put the ink in and take that very tip of it and move it up and down your feet. It tickles me.
2007-03-19 05:24:33 · answer #4 · answered by 123fu765 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because your brain is sending a signal to move your hand and fingers to attempt to tickle yourself, but nothing happens because your brain (in this case) cannot react to stimuli it creates.
2007-03-18 22:38:49 · answer #5 · answered by the taino boy 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Self Perserverance....The brain anticipates your own touch and discounts it therefore one can not tickle himself and if the sensation occurs it will not bring you to laughter
2007-03-18 22:59:38 · answer #6 · answered by lisa 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
~I can tickle myself. Run your finger lightly on top of your thumb on the other hand and see if it tickles.~
2007-03-18 22:43:08 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
i think you laugh when you are tickled because you are uncomfortable with someone else touching you. you cant do it to yourself because you are in control of the touching. silly. ;-)
2007-03-18 22:46:49 · answer #8 · answered by Jessica N 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
lol for real? yea i dont know but i cant tickle myself but my kids tickle the hell out of me. that funny. never thought about that.
2007-03-18 22:50:15 · answer #9 · answered by Adam B 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
when we tickle ourselves, it doesnt tickle because we are the ones tickling
2007-03-18 22:44:21 · answer #10 · answered by westafrocherokee 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋