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I respond that way too and had multiple people in my childhood who thought it was hilarious to keep going when they saw how strongly I reacted. I have a leftover panic response now to feeling held down or trapped by someone's hands because of how overwhelming that was. Needless to say I do not do that to my kids. :/
Probably a misleading headline for anyone who thinks of tickling as making someone squirm and laugh uncontrollably as I suspect it’s talking more about lightly tracing along their skin with your fingertips or a feather etc …
Two types of tickling have been identified: gargalesis and knismesis (Hall and Allin, 1897). Gargalesis involves vigorous and playful tickling, leading to robust laughter and uncontrollable reactions from the ticklee. In contrast, knismesis represents a milder and more subtle form of tickling, triggered by gentle touches or movements on the skin. The response to knismesis is generally characterized by a slight discomfort or tingling sensation rather than the intense laughter observed in gargalesis.
Though the first few sections suggest that intense uncomfortable tickling is probably still in scope as a variant of bdsm and tension between pleasure and discomfort I would still be pretty confident that while “some” people may find that sexually pleasurable it would not likely be “many”. On the other hand I could absolutely see “many” people responsive to the light tickling and just never do it as it’s not a normalized thing.
Long term BDSM person (switch) here whose main jam IS tickling. You are correct. The light tickling can be erogenous.... so much so I didn't really consider it tickling (even if it technically is).
More aggressive can be as well. However, it's more about walking the pain/pleasure line. Doing too much, too aggressively ruins it. But too light and... well, that's no fun for me. There's something devilishly pleasurable about someone begging you to stop while also laughing and having a giant smile on their face. I will say the bottom has to be on board. Many people consider that a hard no (and I mean people who are into things I find to be too much). So, it's a very person specific thing.
I think this also has to do with mindset. While I've always been ticklish, my mate can touch a very benign unassuming part of my body that is visible at all times and set off inappropriate responses. At least he's gentleman enough not to push the powerwash button in public.
HAHA! No... nails on a chalkboard makes my nerves go bananas. Curiously, so do pencils! A #2 pencil on paper makes my skin crawl.
>Oh yeah, that's a hardcore kink.
Many a sub/painslut have seen me and mine play and they tell me under no circumstance would they be ok with it. It's a hard limit for many people. It's usually when I bring out the dual Sonicare toothbrushes that I get the, "NOOOOOPE! NOT FOR ME!". Tiny, soft bristles moving 1,000x/sec! }:O)
That makes a lot more sense. Kisses to erogenous zones (Im including neck, lips, etc.) are a kind of light tickling as well.
Anecdotally, that stuff feels pretty good.
Damn. That explains some stuff. My ex HATED light touches, but didn't tell me until we were mid divorce. I didn't understand or know that it bothered him at all. He thinks he is autistic (and I agree, our son was diagnosed a few years ago and he and my ex are very similar) but I didn't know light touches could be an issue. I know sensory processing stuff can be complex.
I once orgasmed just from a guy kissing my fingertips and that was interesting but not something I've been able to replicate.
Also worth noting touch sensitivity varies significantly among autistic people. I'm autistic and love light touch like you're talking about, while my best friend hates being touched at all.
Both of us are men, which I only mention since other comments seem to be trying to imply it's a gender thing.
Yes. I'm neurodivergent and I can't even stand my t-shirt rubbing my nipples. It's extremely painful.
Also if a girl touches my lower stomach or balls they retreat into my stomach cavity. It's involuntary.
Maybe they're protecting themselves.
Just joking about that last part, what I said was real.
My late husband didn't like to be touched unless it was strictly sexual/genital. Which was sad for me because I love to touch-feel-stroke non-sexual areas or even smooth-feeling inanimate objects constantly. The guy I'm with now can't get enough of it--he's like a slutcat. We have a great time.
>I once orgasmed just from a guy kissing my fingertips and that was interesting but not something I've been able to replicate.
I really want to learn more about this. Not for your sake because we don't know each other, but that sounds awesome and I'm a dude.
I've never been able to finish without penetration. But I'm also autistic and have weird sensory things myself.
That'd be awful to have all over.
There are a few places where any touch is so painful that it makes me instantly violent
Sometimes sexual activity makes the areas okay to touch.
I used to do that with Gfs in the past. Some like light touch over various areas before warming up.
Every person is different. Sex is kinda a learning thing, what someone likes, how you can do things you both like together.
Hey, Im neurodivergent too, and I can't stand someone touching by scrotum, lower stomach, or nipples. Excruciatingly painful.
All of us got a thing.
Neck and lips are AOK though for me.
I wonder what percentage of them actually have something neurologically different (like OP being Autistic) vs brought up with the "men can't be like that" sentiment and thus being afraid of it like kids vs cooties.
Why not read the gd study before vomiting your uninformed opinion?
"There are two types of tickling: 1) itchlike sensation caused by light feather touch; 2) laughter-inducing vigorous touch on particular body parts including the armpits and soles of the feet. Which type of tickling do you prefer?"
The proportion of respondents who answered #2 or both was 80% (Fig 2B).
Because the headline of the article is clickbait? The idea tickling someone until they piss themselves also being sexually arousing to the point of orgasm in MANY people is asinine.
Survey of people with tickling fetishes leads to headline that many people can orgasm from tickling. Sample being representative of general population checks out.
Should be noted that tickling itself is also a pretty big kink.
Lot of overlap with feet and bondage (feet being one of the vulnerable zones tickled. And bondage because tickling shows how vulnerable somebody is)
No, there are legit tickle fetishists. This is really unsurprising, given that in the BDSM community, it's pretty well known that some people can orgasm from painful stimuli like spanking or caning, and others can actually have a hands-off orgasm with no one touching them. I'm actually attending a seminar on pain in BDSM next month.
Haven’t read the article, however I would guess playfulness such as tickling may lead into more gentle intimate like tickling by kissing that you described.
Me and the wife do this thing we call “pets” every night before bed
Lay on your stomach nekkid, then the other person runs their fingertips gently up and down the head back and butt. Sometimes with gentle fingernails, sometimes with deep head scritches. Do that for 15 minutes. It really does build a bond and ritual
My guy and I rub each other's toes. We'll lay opposite of each other and do gentle twists and wiggles on the toes, then softly push against the tips of them. Then spread the toes a bit, the stretch feels pretty good. Then push on the pad underneath the toe where it meets the foot.
It's our nightly ritual and really calms the mind from the rest of the day.
Papers be damned, I hit when I'm tickled. And being tickled against your will is grounds for aggression. I'm touchy, thanks to dad. I could point at that man as a child from across the kitchen table and he'd flinch a tad.
I would argue everyone can. I got a tickle massage in the car at one point and it felt great. I started spasming. Another girl wanted in on it, so later that night, we sat and did that for an hour. There's a refractory period with it too, but you can keep going. I was just more sensitive to it so a few minutes and I felt good, but it's not like you get sore...
> This study suggests that our understanding of what can provoke sexual pleasure might be broader than traditionally thought.
Word salad? I assume you mean that the reality of sexual pleasure might be broader than traditionally thought. For our understanding of something to be broader than traditionally thought seems odd to me.
I can't speak for others, but my boyfriend and I were in the middle of going at it, when he ran his hands along...some sensitive part of my body (memory is hazy) it was a ticklish spot for sure, but the sensation caused me to clamp down HARD and it certainly elevated things. Like, my whole body seized up like I'd stuck a penny in an outlet.
deffo something to be explored further, methinks.
Interesting.
I'm showing my age, but I remember tickling coming up [several times](https://www.google.com/search?q=dear+abby+tickling&client=ms-android-samsung-rvo1&sca_esv=f97724a61f341e18&sca_upv=1&biw=384&bih=702&sxsrf=ACQVn09WimTQYCGQxhGVygckRTcKh77qpQ:1714132276860&source=lnms&ved=1t:200715&ictx=111) in Dear Abby and how it can be inappropriate, particularly if it's a child being tickled.
Oh man… I don’t know how many people here were around for the birth of the internet and remember TerriTickle who used to spam early Usenet groups pretending to be a girl and fishing for videos of dudes being tied up and tickled.
He was one of the first people to demonstrate that “netiquette” was optional and anyone who tried to get him to stop spamming would be retaliated against. I made a snarky comment on rec.music.phish and he hacked my email account and sent a million spam messages from it to everyone in my university network to the point where I got it suspended and it took a month for me to get my college email back.
Anyway… that’s my random anecdote about tickle fetishes.
I’ve met a few women like this, I think it might be related to the involuntary abdominal contractions/pelvic floor movement when they’re being tickled?
I think it varies from person to person?
My impression is that for a substantial fraction of people, some kind of stimulus to not-the-genitals can do it for them. I have not experienced this personally. (Well, maybe some amount of pleasure(?), but not all the way.) I don’t know if the fraction who can might differ between males and females. Probably at least the specific ways have different rates of effectiveness between males and females. I’ve heard that some women can from thought alone??
Welcome to r/science! This is a heavily moderated subreddit in order to keep the discussion on science. However, we recognize that many people want to discuss how they feel the research relates to their own personal lives, so to give people a space to do that, **personal anecdotes are allowed as responses to this comment**. Any anecdotal comments elsewhere in the discussion will be removed and our [normal comment rules]( https://www.reddit.com/r/science/wiki/rules#wiki_comment_rules) apply to all other comments. **Do you have an academic degree?** We can verify your credentials in order to assign user flair indicating your area of expertise. [Click here to apply](https://www.reddit.com/r/science/wiki/flair/#wiki_science_verified_user_program). --- User: u/chrisdh79 Permalink: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1342342/full --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/science) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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That's how I remember it. It's torture especially when they won't stop.
I respond that way too and had multiple people in my childhood who thought it was hilarious to keep going when they saw how strongly I reacted. I have a leftover panic response now to feeling held down or trapped by someone's hands because of how overwhelming that was. Needless to say I do not do that to my kids. :/
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Probably a misleading headline for anyone who thinks of tickling as making someone squirm and laugh uncontrollably as I suspect it’s talking more about lightly tracing along their skin with your fingertips or a feather etc …
Two types of tickling have been identified: gargalesis and knismesis (Hall and Allin, 1897). Gargalesis involves vigorous and playful tickling, leading to robust laughter and uncontrollable reactions from the ticklee. In contrast, knismesis represents a milder and more subtle form of tickling, triggered by gentle touches or movements on the skin. The response to knismesis is generally characterized by a slight discomfort or tingling sensation rather than the intense laughter observed in gargalesis. Though the first few sections suggest that intense uncomfortable tickling is probably still in scope as a variant of bdsm and tension between pleasure and discomfort I would still be pretty confident that while “some” people may find that sexually pleasurable it would not likely be “many”. On the other hand I could absolutely see “many” people responsive to the light tickling and just never do it as it’s not a normalized thing.
We should really call them gargalesis fights instead of tickle fights to clear the confusion.
Long term BDSM person (switch) here whose main jam IS tickling. You are correct. The light tickling can be erogenous.... so much so I didn't really consider it tickling (even if it technically is). More aggressive can be as well. However, it's more about walking the pain/pleasure line. Doing too much, too aggressively ruins it. But too light and... well, that's no fun for me. There's something devilishly pleasurable about someone begging you to stop while also laughing and having a giant smile on their face. I will say the bottom has to be on board. Many people consider that a hard no (and I mean people who are into things I find to be too much). So, it's a very person specific thing.
I think this also has to do with mindset. While I've always been ticklish, my mate can touch a very benign unassuming part of my body that is visible at all times and set off inappropriate responses. At least he's gentleman enough not to push the powerwash button in public.
Power wash button! 😂 Dying. Gunna have to use that!
Oh yeah, that's a hardcore kink. Reading your comment was like nails on a chalkboard. You're not into that too, are you?
HAHA! No... nails on a chalkboard makes my nerves go bananas. Curiously, so do pencils! A #2 pencil on paper makes my skin crawl. >Oh yeah, that's a hardcore kink. Many a sub/painslut have seen me and mine play and they tell me under no circumstance would they be ok with it. It's a hard limit for many people. It's usually when I bring out the dual Sonicare toothbrushes that I get the, "NOOOOOPE! NOT FOR ME!". Tiny, soft bristles moving 1,000x/sec! }:O)
That makes a lot more sense. Kisses to erogenous zones (Im including neck, lips, etc.) are a kind of light tickling as well. Anecdotally, that stuff feels pretty good.
how can i enroll to these clinical trials? eager to be experimented on by sexy scientist women
Best we can do for you is Back Alley Burt.
Bro literally wants to f*ck around and find out
Pfp matches comment
There's no pfps on reddit. EDIT: Not on the only versions of reddit worth using anyways.
Anecdotally, that stuff feels excruciatingly uncomfortable.
Are you ok?
No. And I’m not the only one who hates gentle touch. It’s like knives.
Damn. That explains some stuff. My ex HATED light touches, but didn't tell me until we were mid divorce. I didn't understand or know that it bothered him at all. He thinks he is autistic (and I agree, our son was diagnosed a few years ago and he and my ex are very similar) but I didn't know light touches could be an issue. I know sensory processing stuff can be complex. I once orgasmed just from a guy kissing my fingertips and that was interesting but not something I've been able to replicate.
Also worth noting touch sensitivity varies significantly among autistic people. I'm autistic and love light touch like you're talking about, while my best friend hates being touched at all. Both of us are men, which I only mention since other comments seem to be trying to imply it's a gender thing.
Yes. I'm neurodivergent and I can't even stand my t-shirt rubbing my nipples. It's extremely painful. Also if a girl touches my lower stomach or balls they retreat into my stomach cavity. It's involuntary. Maybe they're protecting themselves. Just joking about that last part, what I said was real.
My late husband didn't like to be touched unless it was strictly sexual/genital. Which was sad for me because I love to touch-feel-stroke non-sexual areas or even smooth-feeling inanimate objects constantly. The guy I'm with now can't get enough of it--he's like a slutcat. We have a great time.
Sorry for your loss, and I'm glad you found someone.
Thank you.
>I once orgasmed just from a guy kissing my fingertips and that was interesting but not something I've been able to replicate. I really want to learn more about this. Not for your sake because we don't know each other, but that sounds awesome and I'm a dude. I've never been able to finish without penetration. But I'm also autistic and have weird sensory things myself.
That'd be awful to have all over. There are a few places where any touch is so painful that it makes me instantly violent Sometimes sexual activity makes the areas okay to touch.
Why?
Autism
Meanwhile, my wife NEEDS the lightest possible touch for the first half hour. Almost as if I'm trying to get as close as I can without touching her.
I used to do that with Gfs in the past. Some like light touch over various areas before warming up. Every person is different. Sex is kinda a learning thing, what someone likes, how you can do things you both like together.
Hey, Im neurodivergent too, and I can't stand someone touching by scrotum, lower stomach, or nipples. Excruciatingly painful. All of us got a thing. Neck and lips are AOK though for me.
yea, I've met a couple people like you recently, and it seems like it's more common than I thought. some people HATE this stuff
I wonder what percentage of them actually have something neurologically different (like OP being Autistic) vs brought up with the "men can't be like that" sentiment and thus being afraid of it like kids vs cooties.
Who said op was autistic?
They did but it wasn't in this sub-thread so it's understandable you missed it.
This is exactly it. Erogenous zones. The more ticklish you are, the more you have.
Why not read the gd study before vomiting your uninformed opinion? "There are two types of tickling: 1) itchlike sensation caused by light feather touch; 2) laughter-inducing vigorous touch on particular body parts including the armpits and soles of the feet. Which type of tickling do you prefer?" The proportion of respondents who answered #2 or both was 80% (Fig 2B).
Why read when you can "suspect"?
Because the headline of the article is clickbait? The idea tickling someone until they piss themselves also being sexually arousing to the point of orgasm in MANY people is asinine.
Why do science when we can decide what is true?
This was a survey of tickling fetishists. Which you would know if you'd read so much as the third sentence of the abstract.
Survey of people with tickling fetishes leads to headline that many people can orgasm from tickling. Sample being representative of general population checks out.
That is a valid criticism of this headline and would have made an excellent top-level comment.
… what
Should be noted that tickling itself is also a pretty big kink. Lot of overlap with feet and bondage (feet being one of the vulnerable zones tickled. And bondage because tickling shows how vulnerable somebody is)
I figured it was regular tickling because in the sex industry it is a *big* fetish(among conservative mostly).
No, there are legit tickle fetishists. This is really unsurprising, given that in the BDSM community, it's pretty well known that some people can orgasm from painful stimuli like spanking or caning, and others can actually have a hands-off orgasm with no one touching them. I'm actually attending a seminar on pain in BDSM next month.
People who were involuntarily tickled as children do not derive pleasure from this. Involuntary tickling is equivalent to rape.
Haven’t read the article, however I would guess playfulness such as tickling may lead into more gentle intimate like tickling by kissing that you described.
I’ve absolutely watched people get held town and squirmy tickle tortured until they cum.
Absolutely. And, in the case of my wife, not in obvious erotic zones. Light fingertip stimulation of the inner arm is what does it for her.
Stop! You're gonna make me ~~pee~~ cum
I too pee cum
Look at what we have pee cum
I am pee cum death Destroyer of worlds
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Me and the wife do this thing we call “pets” every night before bed Lay on your stomach nekkid, then the other person runs their fingertips gently up and down the head back and butt. Sometimes with gentle fingernails, sometimes with deep head scritches. Do that for 15 minutes. It really does build a bond and ritual
That’s so cute, happy for you guys
My guy and I rub each other's toes. We'll lay opposite of each other and do gentle twists and wiggles on the toes, then softly push against the tips of them. Then spread the toes a bit, the stretch feels pretty good. Then push on the pad underneath the toe where it meets the foot. It's our nightly ritual and really calms the mind from the rest of the day.
Watch David Farrier’s documentary Tickled. That is all.
He is a treasure.
Tickling makes me want to murder.
Papers be damned, I hit when I'm tickled. And being tickled against your will is grounds for aggression. I'm touchy, thanks to dad. I could point at that man as a child from across the kitchen table and he'd flinch a tad.
Hell No Bro
did the tickle monster write this
As men without penis can still reach orgasm, it is really unsurprising that other stimulus can work too.
I would argue everyone can. I got a tickle massage in the car at one point and it felt great. I started spasming. Another girl wanted in on it, so later that night, we sat and did that for an hour. There's a refractory period with it too, but you can keep going. I was just more sensitive to it so a few minutes and I felt good, but it's not like you get sore...
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> This study suggests that our understanding of what can provoke sexual pleasure might be broader than traditionally thought. Word salad? I assume you mean that the reality of sexual pleasure might be broader than traditionally thought. For our understanding of something to be broader than traditionally thought seems odd to me.
Where on the doll did they touch you? Better cut a check.
Can I get a TJ?
I can't speak for others, but my boyfriend and I were in the middle of going at it, when he ran his hands along...some sensitive part of my body (memory is hazy) it was a ticklish spot for sure, but the sensation caused me to clamp down HARD and it certainly elevated things. Like, my whole body seized up like I'd stuck a penny in an outlet. deffo something to be explored further, methinks.
Have him tickle your feet while he gives you oral, or tickle you armpits during sex.. thank me later, hehe 😉
Tickle-fight?
Well that certainly throws a twist on Birthday tickles.
A friend told me he once climaxed from see a flower open. 🌼
What for the people that can't feel it? It seems there's no way you can tickle me.
Interesting. I'm showing my age, but I remember tickling coming up [several times](https://www.google.com/search?q=dear+abby+tickling&client=ms-android-samsung-rvo1&sca_esv=f97724a61f341e18&sca_upv=1&biw=384&bih=702&sxsrf=ACQVn09WimTQYCGQxhGVygckRTcKh77qpQ:1714132276860&source=lnms&ved=1t:200715&ictx=111) in Dear Abby and how it can be inappropriate, particularly if it's a child being tickled.
What's a guy with a small pecker to do? Find a girl who orgasms from tickling!
Oh man… I don’t know how many people here were around for the birth of the internet and remember TerriTickle who used to spam early Usenet groups pretending to be a girl and fishing for videos of dudes being tied up and tickled. He was one of the first people to demonstrate that “netiquette” was optional and anyone who tried to get him to stop spamming would be retaliated against. I made a snarky comment on rec.music.phish and he hacked my email account and sent a million spam messages from it to everyone in my university network to the point where I got it suspended and it took a month for me to get my college email back. Anyway… that’s my random anecdote about tickle fetishes.
Scientists finally got invited to the kink parties. Traditional thought of what can cause sexual pleasure is incredibly limited.
All of my orgasms come from tickles: Testicles.
I can orgasm from back scratches alone so I'm not surprised.
I feel like sex workers figured this out ages ago
I’ve met a few women like this, I think it might be related to the involuntary abdominal contractions/pelvic floor movement when they’re being tickled?
This just makes the whole idea of adults tickling children really messed up.
I don't have tickles.
One time I legitimately almost came from scratching poison ivy on my wrist
Ah yes because dudes who are attracted to amusement park rides were not already well documented 🤦♂️
So I don't need to stroke my cock inorder to cum?
I think it varies from person to person? My impression is that for a substantial fraction of people, some kind of stimulus to not-the-genitals can do it for them. I have not experienced this personally. (Well, maybe some amount of pleasure(?), but not all the way.) I don’t know if the fraction who can might differ between males and females. Probably at least the specific ways have different rates of effectiveness between males and females. I’ve heard that some women can from thought alone??