Is ticklishness genetic or inherited?

[mb7700]

This question has popped on here before, but it's been awhile. Do you think ticklishness is an inherited, genetic trait, or not?

 

[Lifeseeker]

I'm afraid to ask my kids 😀

 

[mb7700]

I'm afraid to ask my kids 😀

Haha, good answer!

 

[rdhd]

To be scientific, I'd say genetic....something touches you (especially from behind), and you jump....just in case it's a lion, say. And in that case, I'd hope it's inherited, otherwise you may not live long in the outback. Now, why we laugh, should a lion be attacking us, yeh that I don't know.

 

[mb7700]

To be scientific, I'd say genetic....something touches you (especially from behind), and you jump....just in case it's a lion, say. And in that case, I'd hope it's inherited, otherwise you may not live long in the outback. Now, why we laugh, should a lion be attacking us, yeh that I don't know.

I've read that before, too, that ticklishness is an evolutionary trait of survival, so that you know and react right away if a dangerous insect is crawling on you, for example. But I agree, not sure why someone would laugh if a dangerous bug was crawling on them!

 

[TheSolemnOne]

I am not a biologist, but I would have to say yes since nerve endings and veins are physical attributes. Just like your eyes, body structure, and other physical attributes can be passed down from generation to generation, I don't see how nerves would be any different.

 

[SadCuzNotTcklsh]

People in my family are ticklish, but me..... 🙁

 

[Volsung]

You should ask Aeveirra...

 

[maniactickler]

Its not genetic. some family members are ticklish as hell, when others aren't ticklish at all.

 

[robbyman105]

The real question is: where do tickle signals come from? Are nerve endings ticklish and our brain just receives the tickle-signals, does our brain train our nerves to be ticklish, or are there ticklish brains that receive standard touch signals? Regardless, I would say that ticklish is genetic but not everyone in the same family necessarily has tickle-genes.

To throw some scientific method into the mix, we should run a study comparing the ticklishness of identical and fraternal twins. If all identical twins are similarly ticklish, then we can lean towards the genetic argument.

 

[arachnid95]

Mmm, I don't think so. If it was a genetic trait, ticklishness would be a lot more consistent. But as we all know, one's ticklishness can vary wildly depending on things like situation, atmosphere, who's tickling you, and in what way, et cetera. If it were a gene, you'd either be ticklish or you wouldn't, and nothing could ever change that.

I may just be talking out my ass, and could in fact be terribly wrong, but I stand by my answer. XD

 

[tickletherapist]

I just hope we'll see more scientific research on the nature of ticklishness and how it could be altered. Once, I hope, scientists and media will stop this boring joking on the topic and start doing real things.

 

[JoanArcadia]

Its not genetic. some family members are ticklish as hell, when others aren't ticklish at all.

Some family members (even within siblings) have blue eyes, while others have brown ones. Are you trying to say that eye colour also isn't genetic?

 

[Coda]

… Why wouldn't it be genetic? What's the alternative – that people learn it?

 

[CaitSith]

As a person with an actual formal education: Ticklishness is not genetic, lol. There's no correlation nor linkage - never been, never will be - between ancestors' and prodigy's ticklishness. It's a totally normal body reaction that people develop in some certain degree. It's all down to nerves and biochemical transmission - just like with pain tolerance. Whether you can stand a kick into your balls or not, makes absolutely ZERO impact on whether your son/grandson/grandgrandgrandson will.
As simple as that.

 

[Aeveirra]

That's an interesting question!
I don't know......

But perhaps studying twins would help?!? With an Identical genetic makeup.
That would be interesting to know, and it may help arrive at a more definitive answer.

 

[frankied21]

I must agree with Cait sith. As a student of physical therapy who just went through a cadaver study and gross human anatomy, I can tell you it all comes down to the nervous system. Ticklishness is a natural reaction, caused by a stimuli in an area that is very highly innervated. These areas are known as danger zones if they are damaged, but it also is just the fact that there are many nerves in these areas. Yiu are not as ticklish on your arm as you are say in your crotch or on your feet or in your abdomen because there are many more sensory receptors, as well as they are more dangerous and vulnerable to devastating injury. The reason one laughs when tickled, in our world, is because the stimulus is not noxious, or in lay terms painful. The nerves are being stimulated in a mechanical fashion though. The reason it is uncontrollable laughtwr caused is basically because the stimulation and sensation is so high, depending on intensity and circumstances that your body wants to move away from it, and also causes the diaphragmic spasms and air moving quickly and in large volumes through the vocal cords, causing lsrge and sometimes choppy chuckles. Nerves can be either specific to one type of stimulus or more general. The nerves stimulated while being tickled are the same ones that transmit pain, and due to the amount of them in certain areas, you are more ticklish in certain spots. Also, if you are wondering why the feet are included, it is because you constantly walk on your feet on different terrains and need input to tell how much pressure to put where on your feet and so forth (I am clarifying this because no one would think of feet as a danger zone). But you develop your own nervous system, because it is your body. You do not inherit your nervous system from someone in your family

 

[frankied21]

That's an interesting question!
I don't know......

But perhaps studying twins would help?!? With an Identical genetic makeup.
That would be interesting to know, and it may help arrive at a more definitive answer.

I wrote my own answer. Idk if you'd agree with everything but I'd like your input

 

[Ticklefan42]

Probably a mix of both. Obviously tickling involves physical stimulation, but how we react seems to vary from person to person based on individual experiences.

 

[mb7700]

I guess there is no way of knowing for sure, but the experiment with identical twins that Aeveirra suggested would sure be interesting!

 

[alex]

This would be easy enough to test. You do a survey of families and ask them to rate their ticklishness on a scale of 1-10, then look at whether people in the same family are more likely to give similar numbers than people not in the same family.

Until such a study is done, I'll presume that since so many other things run in families, ticklishness (and lack of ticklishness) does too.

 

[TicklishBlackGuy]

Can kinda depend honestly. I think its genetic honestly. A lot of family in my
family are ticklish, so I can see it being handed down generation to generation
maybe sometimes skipping certain people, but everyone in the family is ticklish.
Now for if they like it or not, is up to them.