🌅 Tickling Is a Near-Universal Human Behavior

SOURCE

Xiong & Kilteni (2026)

WHAT TO KNOW

• Researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden surveyed people from Chinese, Dutch, and Greek cultural backgrounds about their experiences with tickling, finding ticklishness is a distinct body sensation that appears to be consistent across cultures. The survey found 98.4% of respondents reported having experienced tickling in their life, while 95.8% reported experience tickling someone else. People across all three cultures also reported being ticklish in the same spots, with the armpits, soles of feet, belly, and sides of the torso consistently emerging as the most ticklish regions. Taken together, the researchers believe the findings suggest tickling is a widespread human behavior.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Science has long-recognized two primary types of tickling: knismesis, a feather-light touch sensation that usually doesn’t produce laughter, and gargalesis, the strong laughter-inducing tickling caused by firm, repetitive touching. Most research to date has focused on knismesis due to its similarities to itchiness, which is a symptom of several medical conditions. Gargalesis, on the other hand, has remained largely unstudied, and experts say the present work could help lay the groundwork for systematic research into the poorly understood sensation.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• Research into tickling has led to various theories about why it evolved. Some work suggests it’s simply a reflex response with no true function, while other studies argue it’s a social phenomenon that helps us bond. Another theory is that tickling may teach us to protect our most vulnerable body parts or reflexively move away from potentially harmful touching. Research also shows many primates, including chimps, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans, tickle each other, suggesting tickling could be an evolutionarily ancient behavior.