The Laughter of Ticklishness Is a Darwinian Feature Related to Empathy in Both Genders: Self-Esteem in Men and Sexism in Women

Abstract

The theory of false alarm for laughter could explain the involuntary laugh when someone is tickled. To put this hypothesis to the test, we handed out a questionnaire (180 items) with two hundred university students. Our main results are: In women who like being tickled, we discover components related to pleasure, erotism, feeling of affection, arousal, uncontrollability, domination, sexism and Darwinian (golden ratio) and psychological traits (empathy, low schizotypy and external locus of control) that are not present in the laughter at a stumble. The relation of both types of laughter with sense of humor is also differential. In men who like being tickled, we discover components related to masturbation, sexual fantasies, erotism, arousal, domination, sexist humour and Darwinian (square chin, feeling of masculinity) and psychological traits (empathic stress, low schizotypy, external locus of control and overall self-esteem). The relationship between being tickled and self-esteem shows a double aspect in men: It is positive in men who like being tickled and negative in men who do not like being tickled. For women there is not a relationship between self-esteem and tickling. Our conclusion is that laughter of ticklishness is a Darwinian feature related to empathy.

Tickle fetishism: pleasure beyond playfulness

“…Studies that documented orgasm triggered by extragenital stimulation (Komisaruk and Whipple, 2011;Younis et al, 2016), and studies on ejaculation (Levin, 2005) do not specifically mention tickling as a stimulation method. Similarly, research focusing on tickling and sexual behaviors (Gutheil, 1947;Verónica Juárez-Ramos et al, 2014) do not establish a direct link between tickling and orgasm. The exception appears to be an early case study in a woman reaching orgasm through tickling (Ellis, 1913).…”

“…In contrast, gargalesis, in the case of individuals without tickle fetishism, might be unlikely to serve as a significant sexual stimulus, highlighting the unique interplay between neurophysiological responses and psychological states. Sexual aspects of tickling were previously described in males who like being tickled, as components related to masturbation, sexual fantasies, erotism, arousal, and domination ( Verónica Juárez-Ramos et al, 2014 ). Through exploratory factor analysis (factor 1, Figure 4B ), we captured the fetish aspect of tickling reflecting individuals who experience tickling as a specific fetishistic interest or arousal trigger in their sexual lives.…”

“…This gap in research is highlighted by a recent large-scale meta-analysis of studies on touch interventions and well-being, which found no instances of tickling in over 200 studies ( Packheiser et al, 2023 ). Nevertheless, there are some notable studies of tickling in the field of psychology often exploring the neural and psychological mechanisms underlying tickling sensations, as well as its relationship to laughter, playfulness, and bonding ( Hall and Allin, 1897 ; Harris and Christenfeld, 1999 ; Verónica Juárez-Ramos et al, 2014 ; Ishijima and Negayama, 2017 ; Elise Wattendorf et al, 2019 ; Hammond et al, 2019 ). Neuroscientists have explored the processing of touch within the nervous system, as well as the brain regions and nerve pathways implicated in the tickling response ( Zotterman, 1939 ; Ruggieri and Milizia, 1983 ; Ruggieri et al, 1985 ; Carlsson et al, 2000 ; Wattendorf et al, 2013 , 2016 ; Ishiyama and Brecht, 2016 ; Leavens and Bard, 2016 ; Elise Wattendorf et al, 2019 ; Ishiyama et al, 2019 ).…”

The importance of skin area and gender in ticklishness

“…A more recent report, based on surveys, by Juárez‐Ramos, Salazar‐López, Artacho et al . (2014) reported a number of gender differences in ticklishness, partly related to personality differences such as empathy.…”

Laterality of Tickle Sensation Produced by Self-Stimulation,

“…Although some questionnaire surveys have reported quantitative and qualitative differences between men and women in response to tickling (e.g., Provine, 2000; Juárez-Ramos, Salazar-López, Artacho, Chmielowiec, Riquelme, Fernández-Gómez, et al , 2014), there are no experimental studies in which the sex difference was significant (e.g., Claxton, 1975; Pridmore, Garry, Karst, Rahe-Meyer & Rybak (2006). For example, Harris and Alvarado (2005) reported that 70% of men and 75% of women laughed in response to a tickle manipulation in their experiment.…”