Most of us have ticklish spots somewhere on our body, and it’s usually pretty easy to spot. For some it is above the knee, for others it is on the back of the neck, and when someone grabs us from the sides we laugh out loud. Laughing is a natural reaction when someone tickles you. Scientists have discovered that the sensation we feel when we are tickled makes us nervous and is a natural defense against crawling little robots like spiders and insects. A mild tickling insect can send a shiver through your body and alert you that something is crawling on you.
This same tickling sensation makes us nervous, triggering an uncontrollable laughing response when someone tickles us. This is the time when you least expect the tingle and it makes you extremely uncomfortable and nervous, leading to the most intense tingling sensation. Even though you know you’re going to be tickled, the fear and discomfort of someone touching and hurting you makes you laugh. Some are so ticklish before they even touch.
If someone else’s touch can tickle us, why can’t we tickle ourselves? Much of the explanation for this problem is still unknown, but research has shown that the brain is trained to know what it feels like when a person moves or performs an action. We are not aware of many of the sensations that our movements create. For example, you don’t pay much attention to your vocal chords when speaking. For the same reason, we cannot tickle ourselves. If we reach to our sides in an attempt to tickle, our brain anticipates this hand contact and prepares for it. By removing anxiety and panic, the body no longer reacts as if someone else has come to tickle us.
This was discovered by brain scientists at University College London Cerebellum Like the part of the brain that stops us from tickling ourselves. The cerebellum is the area at the base of the brain that monitors our movements. He can distinguish between expected sensations and unexpected sensations. An expected feel is the amount of pressure your fingers exert on the keyboard while typing. An unexpected feeling sneaks up behind you and taps you on the shoulder. When the brain rejects the feeling of tapping, it pays too much attention to someone tapping you on the shoulder. The difference between expected and unexpected responses is an inbuilt response that may have evolved early in human history to detect predators.
Although we can’t tickle ourselves, there is a way to trick the brain with a robot tickler. it is true. Using all the knowledge of science and technology, a robot has been designed that allows people to tickle each other. The same British scientists mentioned above have designed a machine that allows you to tickle yourself from a distance. To operate the machine, a person lies on their back with their eyes closed. The robot is positioned next to the person with a piece of soft foam attached to a plastic rod controlled by a remote control joystick. When the person activates the wand, the robot responds after a short delay. Even though there was a delay of up to a fifth of a second between the person actuating the wand and the robot tickling the person’s hand, the subjects described the sensation as being tickled by another person. So, in a sense, you might be tinkering with a robotic assistant.
Prone to fits of apathy. Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Internet advocate. Avid travel enthusiast. Entrepreneur. Music expert.
