Tickle me this?

This weeks Random Wicked Weekly Wednesday Fact of the Week!

Have you ever wondered what hell tickling is? - I, being the man who was recently tickled on a bus,
(screw you, girl on my bus)
 I decided to find out!

As it turns out - there's 2 types of tickling! What's more they have fancy names (Knismesis and Gargalesis) but I will just call them type 1 and type 2 respectively - because screw typing Kinee$%smesas more than once.

There are multiple types of nerves that react to touch, the 'light touch' nerves seem to be responsible for type 1 tickling, and the 'heavy touch and vibration' receptor nerves are associated with type 2.

In fact, type 1 barely even seems like real tickling - its the one where you get really lightly touched and then that spot gets itchy or something. It's thought that this could be part of the grooming response - so that when little bugs and what not, climb all over your back -

You can feel them and it incites you to itch them away - (and freak the fuck out)

So all we really want to talk about is type 2 tickling - which is that kinda tickling that you probably hated done on you, but quite enjoyed doing to other people.
Interestingly enough it seems only humans and other apes and primates can get this type of tickled!
(maybe rats too)

but WHY do we get tickled!?
Well its not 100% known but there's some pretty good ideas out there,

• Such as its a way to form bonding between parents and children
• Its a way for parents to punish children without resorting to physical violence.
• Its a way for siblings to tickle torture each other into submission to exert dominance over the runt.
• It's a way for adolescents to use an outlet for the release of sexual energy. (that's disgusting, girl on my bus)
• Also tickling can be used on certain erogenous parts of the body... In da bedruuummmm! (funnily this doesn't incite laughter)
• As ticklish spots are often in the same places as "weak spots" and also other protective reflexes it could be a way to elicit some to defend these areas.
• Likewise, it is a way of honing your combat skills in mortal combat against friends and siblings: the reason we are forced into laughter is so the assailant thinks its all OK and continues assailing the defender in this valuable life lesson of self defence.

That's a lot of ideas, and perhaps more than one is true, interestingly enough you cannot self tickle yourself with type 2 tickles, but you CAN self tickle yourself with type 1! This is due to you being able to predict your about to tickle yourself, it turns out tickling has to be a surprise, and the site of tickling not exactly known for maximum effectiveness...

FASCINATING!

What's more some schizophrenics CAN tickle themselves with type 2 tickling!

and certain people called Hypergargalesthesia (or something like that) - which means they are 

SUPER SENSITIVE to tickles! (screw you, girl on my bus)

"Tickling.  Not even once."

Tickling has also been used as a form of torture, and can cause someone to vomit or loose consciousness! This is why tickling without consent is considered physical abuse.
So kids... "ask a little, before you tickle!"
 - This applies predominantly to girl on my bus. Screw you, girl on my bus.

Stay classy San Diego!