Tickling is very scary and unpleasant, or why you shouldn’t tickle children

The body remembers, even when the head has forgotten. An experience hidden in the subconscious guides our physiological reactions. They are not subject to conscious control until you find your own tickle fear trigger.

I provoked him. I ran up and pulled, he grabbed me sharply and then tickled me, I couldn’t get out. There was not enough air either from laughter or from the approaching tears. She asked her to stop, and he did so with renewed vigor. When dad tickled and touched the skin with his stubble, it was both painful and so pleasant. He was entirely mine at that moment, no important matters - just me. Mom always screamed when we got so mad. It usually ended with me crying. But I wanted it again and again.

Not everyone's fear of tickling was provoked by their dad. Maybe it was an imaginary monster that pulled its clawed paw towards its leg whenever the light was turned off. Maybe a fairy tale where a wolf was knocking on the door of defenseless little goats, or a classmate waiting around the corner to scare them. Perhaps even a scratchy sweater.

The nature of tickling: basic theories

For some, tickling is comparable to pain, and for others - a whole lot of pleasure and happiness, but what is this unusual phenomenon in itself? There are two main versions of the origin of tickling: The main and especially recognized guess is that tickling is a defensive reaction body (skin) to external stimuli: animals and small insects. The ancient man lived for the most part without clothes, but nevertheless knew how dangerous a beetle or snake could be when it crawled into an unnecessary place, and as a result, he gradually developed a defensive reflex, one that was passed on to us without disappearing in the process of evolution. The human nervous system still recognizes someone else's touch in hidden parts of the body as something unfriendly, but because the rational component of the brain forces us to realize that there is nothing unfriendly in these touches, the human body bursts into laughter, occasionally releasing a small amount of endorphins. Laughter from tickling has a nervous nature, not at all easily explained from the point of view of science: laughter from tickling is not caused by a funny situation, hearing a joke or something similar - it appears easily on the basis of a protective reflex of the body. The theory that tickling is a defensive reflex , allowed us to explain why a person cannot tickle himself: the human brain understands that the human body cannot cause damage to itself, which means that every result from tickling is nullified. The second, approximately unrecognized, option for the origin of tickling is the guess that in the process of 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.

How to stop tickling

Place your hand on the hand of the person who is tickling. A signal will go to your brain that you are tickling yourself. And then the sensitivity will decrease and the unpleasant sensations will go away. The main thing is to catch the tickler's hand. This method is often used by pediatricians when examining the abdomen in children.

To stop tickling, you need to catch the tickler's hand.

Tickling not to laugh

For many people, tickling is just a way to laugh, get closer to a person, or simply fool around. For the Nazi camps, tickling was a good form of torture: people were completely united, their feet were dipped in salt water, and then goats were forced to lick this salt water, which through After a minute or two it started to feel painful. Such torture did not become widespread, due to the fact that it mostly affected the mental state of a person, and not the physical one, however, its existence has been confirmed. From the point of view of science, it is allowed to die from laughter, but it is impossible to die from laughter caused by tickling how the human body has the ability to control the receptors of its body, that is, over time, “block” the result of tickling. Tickling became widespread not only among executioners, but also among lovers of sexual pleasures and sexual diversity. Thus, tickling is one of the most famous fetishes. Also, some people may become aroused by the sight of people tickling each other. It is easy to explain a similar fetish - during tickling, if it is not intended to cause pain, the human body begins to produce endorphins and dopamines, which contribute to better sexual arousal.

Horror haunts people everywhere. It can be dim or develop into a phobia. Either way, horror brings discomfort and excitement. There are several ways to stop being afraid.

Instructions

1. AcceptanceYou must first recognize that it is certainly common to be afraid. This is typical for any person, so you shouldn’t be ashamed of your feelings. You have the right to be horrified, just like everyone else. Accept it and remember it. Denying a phobia also does not help get rid of it. Do not hide that you are afraid, this is the first step to deliverance. 2. AnalysisTo fight fears, you need to realize where their root is. Analyze what exactly scares you. The fear of getting burned is real, but the fear of failure is not. Many fears are illusory, which means you will fight with yourself. 3. Aggression Many psychologists practice with their patients the transformation of horror into aggression. Anger displaces the fear of phenomena; it pushes a person to achieve accomplishments and overcome himself. It’s easier to stop being afraid this way. 4. Breathing exercises It has been proven that breathing exercises not only help fight fear, but also help rationalize thinking. Saturating the brain with oxygen has a calming effect. Such a pause helps to gather strength and try to overcome the phobia again. 5. Shapiro's method Changing your condition is a whole science. Controlling your emotions means you can reduce the terror. Shapiro's method is to reduce terror through exercise. It is your responsibility to present yourself in a harmless place. After this, choose two points that you are comfortable following with your eyes. Think about your fear and move your pupils from left to right. After 20-30 such manipulations, think about the sensations. Remember a safe place. After a few sessions, you will feel that the horror is decreasing. 6. Exercises with imagination Psychologists use the “Cinema” exercise when they need to show the patient that his fear is controlled by himself. You can do the same on your own. Imagine that you are in a cinema hall. On the screen you are doing simple, everyday actions in a black and white film. After this, imagine how you experience the situation that frightens you. Take a big breath. Now visualize yourself rewinding what was shown in color. Over time, a feeling of minimizing horror comes. This is a powerful way to demonstrate how to stop being afraid. 7. Calming Phrases The power of your own words remains underestimated. Many people in a skeptical environment begin to reassure others, persuading them that everything is fine. A peaceful intonation and an even voice send a signal to the brain that it needs to stop panicking. During the manifestation of horror, use words and expressions that would carry a cherished meaning specifically for you. This will help you concentrate and control yourself. Video on the topic

Note! Detailed methods of exercises to combat fear can be found in books. Note! It is worth noting the fact that the places where it is especially ticklish are mainly in the areas where significant vital organs are located. Consequently, such a reflex to tickling is, perhaps, even necessary for our body in order to avoid harmful effects. And that means you shouldn’t get rid of it. Helpful advice The most important thing to remember when you are being tickled is to relax and imagine that it feels good. Now tickling you will become uninteresting.

Why People Are Afraid of Tickling - Personal Thriller Scenarios

Everything that happens to us in life is determined by our innate mental properties and how we use them. Even when the problem is on the surface of the body, its solution should be sought deep down in the soul, having an accurate coordinate system.

Three main reasons for fear of tickling:

1) loss of a sense of security and safety in childhood - a basic distrust of the world throughout life

This scenario can happen when someone close to you tickles or otherwise frightens a child to the point of exhaustion. The heart is beating wildly, the whole body is shrinking from defenselessness. You can’t say “stop”, but dad keeps poking his finger in the ribs.

The lover of the parrot and the victim, like oppositely charged poles, are attracted to each other. One unconsciously provokes, the other is happy to succumb to temptation. After all, it is pleasant to scare only those who react sincerely and emotionally. An insidious and unexpected “boo!” from around the corner - the work of a person who is endowed by nature with the gift of teaching others, passing on knowledge, skills and abilities. Scaring his delicate daughter, the father clumsily, but fulfills his educational role, teaches the sensual girl to respond to danger in her entire emotional range. This skill was once essential for survival. Daddy does not yet know that such “study” can cover a child with a visual vector with a black blanket of fear, the roots of which he will look for in an online training in psychology after 20 years of a joyless life in constant tension.

2) touching as a source of pain - masochistic tendencies

In ancient Rome, tickling was used as an instrument of torture. (1) The offender was tied up, his feet were smeared with saline solution, and two specially trained goats licked his feet. It's funny at first, but after 25 seconds it's excruciatingly painful. Swedish neurophysiologist Yngve Zotterman proved in his work “Touch, Tickle and Pain” that tickling and pain use the same nerve fibers.

Those with certain mental properties are especially sensitive to touch. He has hypersensitive, thin, delicate skin, and inside this person is flexible, easy-going, fast and changeable. Such people are able to adapt to any situation. And if they are regularly hurt, the psyche adapts to the conditions, and endorphins are no longer produced from gentle stroking and gentle touch, but from physical and psychological roughness. Mild masochistic tendencies can develop in the owner of the skin vector, even when his mother forces him to wear a scratchy sweater. It’s unbearable, but you have to endure the pain day after day, and do something about it?

An adult consciously avoids pain, looks for ways to stop being afraid of tickling everywhere, but life again and again throws up alarming situations that trigger a painful mechanism. Relationships develop with a man who loves to squeeze in his arms so that his ribs crack. The boss yells and humiliates, his friends set him up.

3) constant tension inside

British scientists have developed a device that attaches to a cartilaginous protrusion on the ear, tickles the patient, stimulating the vagus nerve, and stabilizes the heart rate. (2) And if such a device is not at hand yet, but tomorrow you need to see a doctor, how can you calm your heart? With it you will need to undress to the waist, and even a phonendoscope will tickle you! The body becomes tense as a stone. It seems that you can reflexively hit a specialist, as long as he doesn’t touch him. And it would be nice if only the doctor. When your own boyfriend suddenly puts his hand on your waist, you want to do the same.

Tickling causes spasm of all muscles. An involuntary aggressive reaction to touch can occur in a person who is already under constant tension. The doctor’s touch, like a butterfly on a wolf’s barbell from “Well, Just Wait!”, will turn out to be just the last straw in an avalanche of stress and disappointment. You can avoid awkwardness and prevent others from demonstrating your “inadequacy” if you yourself understand why inside all the nerves are compressed into one bundle that is about to burst.

The strangest human phobias

It is absolutely normal to be afraid and afraid of something. It's another matter when a small fear develops into an uncontrollable phobia. It happens that people begin to panic fear of completely harmless things. Such deviations greatly affect life and are not in the best way. And some are even signs of mental disorders. We will tell you about 10 phobias that will definitely surprise you!

Koumponophobia - fear of buttons

People suffering from this phobia should be glad that in our time there is already a replacement for buttons: buttons and zippers. According to researchers, this disease occurs in 1 person in 75 thousand. By the way, sometimes kumponophobia is confused with another similar disease - trypophobia.

Felinophobia - fear of cats

It's hard to imagine that anyone could be afraid of these cute furry pets. Felinophobes experience panic attacks, nausea, dizziness and rapid heartbeat when they see cats.

Automatonophobia - fear of humanoid dummies

Many psychotherapists believe that fear of something very similar to a person, but not a person, is in fact natural. Automatonophobes try to avoid dolls, wax figures, mannequins and other “fakes.”

Auchoclaustrophobia - fear of an open wardrobe door

Most likely, those who suffer from this phobia are afraid that someone might crawl out of there. If the door of a wardrobe or closet is slightly open, then they feel anxiety, deterioration in well-being and always try to stay away from the source of their fears.

Ergophobia - fear of work

This phobia has nothing to do with laziness. As a rule, ergophobes have previously had some kind of negative experience at work. In some cases, people who have never worked in their lives begin to suffer from ergophobia.

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedalophobia - fear of long words

It seems like a joke, but such a phobia really exists. But the main irony is that a very long name was also invented to designate it.

Selenophobia - fear of the moon

As a rule, this fear is associated with the fear of the dark, because the Moon appears at this time of day.

Deipnophobia - fear of table conversations

Not everyone will be happy to find themselves at a table in an unfamiliar company. Especially if the conversation doesn’t really go well, and the degree of awkwardness only increases. The situation is unpleasant, but there are worse things, don’t you agree? But deipnophobes don’t think so. They are ready to faint just imagining the fact that they will have to spend several hours participating in table conversation. Therefore, they try not to come to celebrations or parties, and if they still manage to be dragged there, then they try with all their might to get away from there.

Thalassophobia - fear of “big water”

In fact, it is unlikely that anyone would want to suddenly find themselves alone in the middle of a deep sea or ocean. So thalassophobia manifests itself to one degree or another in most people. By the way, this fear is no longer associated with the fear of drowning, but with the horror of the unknown depths and the creatures that live there.

What can tickling lead to?

The most common reaction of the body to tickling is a smile and hysterical laughter. Sometimes the emotional state is so affected by the irritant that tears may appear. There are other signs that should be noticed promptly. You should consult a doctor if tickling causes:

• dizziness;
• pain in the area where the stimulus acts;
• uncontrolled urination;
• hiccups

Prolonged tickling can be fatal. It has been proven that prolonged active action of the irritant can cause muscle spasms and suffocation. Death from tickling is possible.

Help from a psychologist for pteronophobia

Method one – complete “switching”

The first thing a person who is being “tickled” needs to relax as much as possible. It is recommended to do breathing exercises - take a smooth deep breath and exhale the same way. During it, you need to try to switch from this situation to any other: think about existing problems, reflect on philosophical topics, mentally imagine any phenomenon, for example, the sun rising, waves splashing or water flowing from a tap. This cunning method will allow a person to concentrate on his thoughts, this will reduce the sensitivity of nerve endings.