ticklishness genetic?

[flabio]

Are there any studies or does anyone know if ticklishness could be genetic?

 

[E-Dawg]

in my opinion........

I think that being ticklish is hereditary. I can't think of anyone in my family who isn't ticklish at all. There is a possibility that if a person is ticklish, it's because he/she has at least one parent who is.

 

[Fet_Fret]

You may be on to something.

I think it might be because I have two friends (brother and sister) and they are both extremely ticklish. Although I know another two where one is and one isn't. Still, it seems logical that tickling is genetic.

 

[maniactickler]

Nope

 

[RunnerGirl]

I think it is, my whole family is really ticklish.

 

[Mitchell]

Ticklishness can be genetic, and run in families, or even sides of familes. In the case of my best friend's family, he has told me that his father and sister are not really ticklish, whereas, he, his mother, and his aunt (mother's sister) are all very to extremely ticklish, so, from this, I would say that not only is ticklishness genetic, and runs in familes, it can also be isolated to sides of families, where one side might be really ticklish, and another side isnt.

Mitch

 

[KoocheeKoo]

I believe to some extent, it is...

My mom was extremely (off the scale) ticklish....so is her daughter (my younger sis)....so are both of sis's little girls.

I seem to have took after dad (both of us extremely ticklish on our feet and waist, but not much anywhere else; mom, sis, and my nieces all very ticklish everywhere....even the palms of their hands)

 

[Luv2Tickle69]

I'm prone to think there MIGHT be some genetic connection to being ticklish....but I've seen instances that made me wonder sometimes....

.....what REALLY makes me wonder is, is the ENJOYMENT of being tickled hereditary, or is it something we consciously arrive at at some point in our life and (ultimately) embrace? It's no real mystery that I love having my feet tickled....something I thought was relatively unique given how often I'd seen other people who reacted as if it were the worst thing you could do to them...much later in life, I learned (from application) that my mother ALSO seemed to enjoy having her feet tickled much the way I did....in spite of her sensitivity, she did much the same kinds of things I do while being tickled....fighting to keep her feet still, laughing uproariously, working to relish the experience.

....maybe it was coincidental....maybe not.....discuss..... 😉

 

[alex]

It might be fun to do a study of this. You could give a questionnaire to members of various families, and see if there's an association between the degree of self-reported ticklishness and closeness of blood relation. (Even more fun, of course, would be actually to tickle subjects, rank their ticklishness, and then look for the association.)

In the absence of such a study, I'd say that what with all the other physical things that run in families, it would be surprising if tickling didn't.