Some scientists, approaching it from an evolutionary standpoint, believe that tickling encourages social bonding. Others believe that it is a primitive form of self-defense practice for young children. Bookmark this to easily find it later. Then send your curated collection to your children, or put together your own custom lesson plan. Please note: Use the Contact Us link at the bottom of our website for account-specific questions or issues. My Education.

Tickling is the act of touching a part of a body in a way that causes involuntary twitching movements or laughter. In , psychologists G. Stanley Hall and Arthur Allin described a "tickle" as two different types of phenomena. This type of tickle, called a knismesis , generally does not produce laughter and is sometimes accompanied by an itching sensation. Tickling results from a mild stimulation moving across the skin, and is associated with behaviors such as smiling, laughter, twitching, withdrawal and goose bumps.

You have one of two options: tell the truth, and endure the inevitable tickling that follows; or lie, and know that being found out will lead to a tickle attack that is much worse. For some reason, people think that it is hilarious to prod laughter out of ticklish people through horse bites and strategically placed pokes, and when you think about it, we're all guilty of it: Who among us can claim that they have never tickled a baby's toes to hear that adorable sound that they make? Only when you're an adult, tickling unsuspecting people isn't so cute anymore. And it turns out, sometimes tickling is no laughing matter, if you remember that there is a serial tickler still at large in Boston who breaks into homes and wakes people up by tickling their feet. I'm guessing he's never done it to anyone as ticklish as I am, or I would have accidentally kicked him in the face before I even woke up and the case would have been solved years ago.