Is it possible to tickle someone to death

These nerve endings hold receptors for both touch and pain responses. Some of these nerve endings are very close to the skin. That is one of the reasons why feet are ticklish in some people. People with Podophobia tend to get upset at the sight of feet. Different people experience Podophobia differently: some do not like it when others look at their feet or touch them. Still others are anxious or afraid of their own feet. Restless legs syndrome RLS , also called Willis-Ekbom Disease, causes unpleasant or uncomfortable sensations in the legs and an irresistible urge to move them.

Symptoms commonly occur in the late afternoon or evening hours, and are often most severe at night when a person is resting, such as sitting or lying in bed. When someone attempts to tickle you, put your hand on their hand. Grossman suggests that this action will help your brain better predict the sensation of being tickled, and help you suppress your tickle response.

Tickling has little to do with psychopathy. The average psychopath or sociopath is no less ticklish then a neurotypical. Schizophrenia can mean that people with the disorder are able to tickle themselves. They may also experience self-induced phantom tickling. The reflexive laughter can disguise discomfort, and even pain. While the palm of the hand is far more sensitive to touch, most people find that the soles of their feet are the most ticklish.

Other commonly ticklish areas include the underarms, sides of the torso, neck, knee, midriff, perineum, navel, ribs, breasts, and genital area. Can you stop yourself from being ticklish? If being ticklish is a reflex, there might not be much a person can do to prevent the sensation. Tickling is more intense when it comes as a surprise, so people could place their hands on those of the tickler to try to reduce ticklishness.

Tickling was used as a torture by the ancient Romans. Research by Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience in London found that robotic arms used to tickle people are just as effective as human arms.

In fact, the body movements of someone being tickled often mimic those of someone in severe pain. Older research shows both pain and touch nerve receptors are triggered during tickling. Works your abs One of the benefits of laughter is that it can help you tone your abs. Per an article from Healthline , it's possible for a person to end up dead by laughing too hard. One of the ways it can happen is when the person being tickled suffers a brain aneurysm, wherein the brain's artery fills up with blood and bursts.

In some cases, extreme emotions can result in an asthma attack, which prevents a person from breathing properly. In regard to torture tickling, there are no records available to point that it led to death. The Straight Dope homepage. Filed under:. Is it possible for someone to be tickled to death?

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