Video: https://www.tiktok.com/@distilledscience/video/7527779378932108574
Transcript
Oh no. Oh. Do I have consent? Yeah. Do you hate being tickled even though it makes you laugh? Or some people? You're not alone, and I have some science for you to send to your tickle torturer. Charles Darwin argued that a tickle is a good thing, like a physical joke, requiring some amount of surprise, a pleasant state, and a light touch. This lines up with one theory of tickling, which is that we evolved it as a form of social bonding in play. might use to justify tickling you. However, this study compared people's responses to tickling, comedy, and pain. In the form of a bucket of ice water. They had people self-rate their experience, but also analyzed their body language. The results were fascinating. Women overall rated a tickle as being more ticklish and more unpleasant. When asked afterwards, do you enjoy being tickled? 32% said yes, 32% said neutral maybe, and 36% said no. But here's what's fascinating. you know how hard it is to fake a genuine smile, where you see it in the mouth and eyes. Scientists call this a Dushin smile. And when they analyzed footage from this experiment, they found that tickling often produces Dushin smiles. Even in people who didn't like being tickled, it's an involuntary reflex, even if you're normally good at reading people. If you tickle someone and you see that they like it, but they tell you to stop or not to do it again, listen to them. As Professor Robert Provine put it in this paper, non-consensual tickle is as unwelcome as non-consensual sex. If we want it, we say... Do it, lady. No! Next, we'll cover some theories on why we may have evolved this tickle reflex. A few moments later. Do it, lady. Why do you feel nothing?
Additional notes
Replying to @Nox ❓🙋♂️ POLL – ANSWER THIS FOR SCIENCE! Three Parts: When being tickled by a friend or romantic parnter, do you: 1. Enjoy it 2. Neutral / mixed 3. Hate it AND Are you: A. Neurotypical B. Autism Spectrum C. ADHD D. Chronic pain / fibromyalgia E. Other neurospicy flavor AND Are you M. Cis male F. Cis Female O. Other Answer in this format: “1BM” or “2DO” in addition to whatever added context or comments you have. I’ll compile the results, see how they match up to the academic research, and report back! Fun note: She still doesn’t know where “Do it Lady” is from. Do you? MAIN STUDY: 📚 Facial expressions, smile types, and self-report during humour, tickle, and pain – DOI: 10.1080/02699930441000472 For all other references + the upcoming full written articles on touch + tickling, check out my free substack! #science #neurodivergence #touch #psychology #neuroscience #neurology #stem And thanks to @Shira Bouskila for putting up with me!
References
- Facial expressions, smile types, and self-report during humour, tickle, and pain. DOI: 10.1080/02699930441000472, https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930441000472
- Charles Darwin and Robert Provine are discussed in the transcript; additional direct source details not listed in workbook.