Why do kids/adolescents love tickling but adults hate it?

[magic fingers]

I can only speak for myself but when I was growing up, I saw, or was involved w/tickling almost every day in High School and College, and for the most part people seemed to like it. Now sometimes if someone was being tickled, they might've hated it but could only laugh, so they couldn't express their discomfort. But for the most part people seemed to be much more into tickling when they're young.
Nowadays most women my age(and being a straight male, I only have interest in tickling women), absolutely HATE being tickled.

Now I realize this could be because young girls are tickled so often, it could've been torture for them growing up. But again, in HS, and College, there were a fair amount of female 'lers who often initiated tickling, so some of them must've at least enjoyed it somewhat. I can't remember the last time I saw a middle age woman involved w/any type of tickling, even in social/flirty situations.
Do people just outgrow their interest of tickling? Is it considered immature, or childish(a former GF of mine had NO interest in tickling and thought it was weird, and immature that I was into it. I dumped her ass, quick)

Typically I don't like applying science and statistics to something I love as much as tickling but this might explain it. One of these stats say you're 10x more likely to be tickled before you turn 40 than afterward. Also hormonal changes in your body apparently decrease the sensitivity so that when you age, instead of producing laughter, tickling just irritates(agian referring to the Vanilla general public, not the TMF). It also confirms that more women dislike being tickled than men, but I think we all knew that.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living-pictures/tickle-me-pink-12-fun-facts-about-tickling.aspx#/slide-6

 

[chicago]

Im reluctant to believe statistics like that but its probably one of those things that kids find funny. Like hide and seek or wet willies. Not many 40 year old men or women doin that stuff either. Though hide and seek with consequences is a fun game, if you ask me lol

 

[helplessandhappy]

I've seen older people tickle each other. I DESPISED it as a child, and I love it more as I grow older, but that's probably just from being comfortable with myself and admitting it's sexual for me.

 

[chicago]

I've seen older people tickle each other. I DESPISED it as a child, and I love it more as I grow older, but that's probably just from being comfortable with myself and admitting it's sexual for me.

Also, this. I was pretty terrified of being tickled by anyone for the longest time

 

[tickletherapist]

Childhood is fun. Hormonal changes just make it all more diffucult when we age.

You know, that's the case why I don't think of tickling as a fetish in the first place. Yes, sure we can name it like that now. But, you see, I clearly remember I've been into tickling since when I was like 5-6 years old. I liked tickling girls much in the same way probably as now. Could a 5y.o. child be named fetishist? It was fun and it seemed to be normal. We could enjoy it in many ways. As we can enjoy it now when we're adults.

Although now it's all sexual because we discovered how to release our sexuality.
So, of course it's considered immature and childish by those for whom it's not sexual.

 

[chicago]

Childhood is fun. Hormonal changes just make it all more diffucult when we age.

You know, that's the case why I don't think of tickling as a fetish in the first place. Yes, sure we can name it like that now. But, you see, I clearly remember I've been into tickling since when I was like 5-6 years old. I liked tickling girls much in the same way probably as now. Could a 5y.o. child be named fetishist? It was fun and it seemed to be normal. We could enjoy it in many ways. As we can enjoy it now when we're adults.

Although now it's all sexual because we discovered how to release our sexuality.
So, of course it's considered immature and childish by those for whom it's not sexual.

Fetishes often begin developing in childhood. You see something, like a tmnt cartoon, as a kid and it sticks with you and manifests as fetish usually during puberty. I wasn't experiencing arousal at 5 but I was very much aware that how I felt towards tickling was different than the average person.

 

[luvgirlsfeet]

Maybe for some adults they're reminded of the torture they went through as a kid and for some it brings back unpleasant memories. As for myself it never really changed my views on it. For some reason I'm more ticklish as an adult than I remember being as a child and back then I was constantly tickled

 

[SlaverTickler]

Probably because as we get older we lose our sense of play, and some probably find it "undignified" to behave that way. Personally I find maturity is over rated. There is a time and a place for everything and tickling is no different.

 

[Emishticklish]

Past experiences, maybe?

 

[tickling=feet]

When I tickled my friends it was to be aroused by the action, if it lasted longer then that, great! But as a kid I never thought of tickling to cause any discomfort because of the smiling and laughing. Even with realtickling at the beginning of the 5 min clip gen, generally didn't show much of the torture part ie closer to a safe word. Example, even in the longer movies like the cop tickling or camp couchie coo from tickling paradise with that women in the last scene was explosively ticklish was only shown for a few minutes. I feel today it would have continued for much much longer. Even when she was in her own video as a slave she still didn't show pain even if pushed to it. Tickle 'torture' came later in my mind when I understood what was going on. It was tickling paradise's "The Ticklish Deal" where Raleigh ends up crying at the end and it continues. Sadistic for sure. If I saw someone crying as a child I would have not understood why it was still occurring. Torture wouldn't come to mind. It was the understanding of the word torture for me as I grew. I dig it now or else I wouldn't love that one model that generally is the sadistic tickler on tickle abuse...ah her name...anyway tickle abuse is amazing. Tickle, abuse. Consensual but still🙂

 

[helplessandhappy]

Could a 5y.o. child be named fetishist? It was fun and it seemed to be normal. We could enjoy it in many ways. As we can enjoy it now when we're adults.

It's different for all of us. It was always a fetish for me.

I never saw it as anything other than sexual, which is probably why I despised it so much as a kid (who the hell wants their uncle/grandparent/whoever stimulating arousal???) I learned how to orgasm at age 4 or even younger, and guess what I thought about to make it happen? So yes, a 5-year-old can most definitely be a fetishist, which is unfortunate, because I didn't have anyone who could possibly explain this to me and it led to incredible amounts of guilt. Many other people say that it was always sexual for them as well. And while I realize many people are not this way, I'm personally incapable of enjoying it in any other way. Tickling for me is on the same level as sex. It's not something I will ever feel comfortable doing with children, friends, family members, etc. It has to be strictly for lovers. Hell, I don't even like SEEING it in a non-sexual situation. My fetish is that damn strong.

 

[tickletherapist]

I was very much aware that how I felt towards tickling was different than the average person.

We're all different than the average person 🙂

It's different for all of us. It was always a fetish for me.

I never saw it as anything other than sexual, which is probably why I despised it so much as a kid (who the hell wants their uncle/grandparent/whoever stimulating arousal???) I learned how to orgasm at age 4 or even younger, and guess what I thought about to make it happen? So yes, a 5-year-old can most definitely be a fetishist, which is unfortunate, because I didn't have anyone who could possibly explain this to me and it led to incredible amounts of guilt. Many other people say that it was always sexual for them as well. And while I realize many people are not this way, I'm personally incapable of enjoying it in any other way. Tickling for me is on the same level as sex. It's not something I will ever feel comfortable doing with children, friends, family members, etc. It has to be strictly for lovers. Hell, I don't even like SEEING it in a non-sexual situation. My fetish is that damn strong.

That's it. That's our thing. Even in childhood. I said I liked tickling girls. Sure it's also sexual. But nothing to be ashamed of. Like helping a girl when you're a child, expressing feelings that you feel is love. I don't see it as a bad thing. Why should we see it as non-sexual?
We just see more in it than the average person.

We like it and those who don't understand start hating it.

 

[helplessandhappy]

Sure it's also sexual. But nothing to be ashamed of.

I think regardless of what the kink is, experiencing extreme amounts of sexual arousal at a young age can lead to feelings of shame. I had no idea what was going on with me and it really scared me. 🙁

 

[chicago]

We're all different than the average person 🙂

Yes, obviously, but I don't think most people enjoy tickling on the way that we do. This was something I was aware of from a young age, and thus felt the need to keep it somewhat secret from most people.

 

[tickletherapist]

Yes, obviously, but I don't think most people enjoy tickling on the way that we do. This was something I was aware of from a young age, and thus felt the need to keep it somewhat secret from most people.

Same thing. We are so few 🙂

 

[Horatio]

I'm with slavertickler. Adults in general lose their sense of silliness as they get older. Sucks for them!

 

[tickledgirls]

As a kid, I was tickled heaps and I loved it. It was fun time to play and parents/ friends always learnt to respect when the ticklee said stop.

For me though, i still don't see it as a fetish, at least for me. It's fine as a fetish, and I can understand it as a fetish, but for me it is an interest (a big one), and one which i would equate to my love of Formula One. I love that sport, but I don't get aroused when i watch it. same with tickling... I don't get aroused by it or anything.

People that don't view tickling as a fetish don't necessarily think of it as gross or hate those who do think of it as such. And people that are not tickle fetishists can still have fun with it.

As for kids tickling... yeah kids tickle adults and kids alike, but usually kids their own age. For them, it is fun and an easy way to laugh. Plus they can do funny challenges with it too. I've seen karate lessons practicing self discipline where the instructor tickle the kids' on their feet to see how long they could last, or whether they could hold it together. As a pre-service teacher, I saw a teacher give a playful student a two second affectionate side squeeze. And as a cub scout leader, when kids are in their tents or cabins at night, tickles seem to happen... just... at random. For the average person, tickling as we know it (as in the whole tie up, tickle for LOOONG periods of time idea) might be weird, but at the same time, perfectly natural depending on the situation and context. As an adult, my dad for example doesn't have any real interest in tickling, yet believes that parents should tickle their kids cause its fun and it is a good way to interact/ wrestle with a son, or make a young daughter laugh. Doesn't make him a pedophile in any way. If you have kids and they knew about tickling, would you deny them that interaction because you found it sexual? Would you tell them that it is only for adults?

I have seen one time here, one user (I forget the name) more or less stated that "[he] lets the wife tickle him, and he tickles the wife back, but he stamps it out when the kids try it...". As someone that doesn't really care whether the tickling is done between adults or children, it does kind of annoy me when people believe that tickling is ONLY a fetish and nothing more. It is a social interaction tool, and one which can lead to many different interests and fetishes.

That's just my take on it. I hope I answered your question 😛.

 

[SadCuzNotTcklsh]

Adults don't like tickling because they are all a bunch of big fat poopeyheads.

 

[helplessandhappy]

If you have kids and they knew about tickling, would you deny them that interaction because you found it sexual?

Yeah, I really would. Don't get me wrong, I'd play with my kids and try to make them laugh and stuff. But actual full-on tickling? No way could I do that with anyone I wasn't sexual with, let alone a child. The idea is nauseating to me.

 

[Amnesiac]

Neurology also plays a huge part. As we age, our brain becomes more complex and we lose the ability to ride our own chemical feedback without help (such as narcotics, anti-depressants, hallucinogenics, etc.). This is mostly a good thing because it allows for impulse control, but a bad thing because it also desensitizes us to the strongest sensory inputs we thrive on.

Kids will go with basic positive reinforcement, especially on a sensory note, because there's not a lot of--if ANY--conceptual grasp of context to get in the way. That's why they'll eat sugar till they puke: good things are good, bad things are bad, and never the twain shall have anything to do with each other. Once you start introducing the CONCEPT of what is good/bad/appropriate with an action, that's when the kids start weighing things and the reactions become "tainted" by a larger understanding. This makes up the substance of teaching kids the dangers of child molesters: if you're not supposed to be touched a certain place, then the "feel good" aspect is irrelevant: it's "bad." While this makes it easier to protect kids from molestation, it's a hell of a lot more depressing than teaching them "how much sugar you can eat till you'll get sick."

Adults have learned this WAY too well most of the time. They've been too heavily burnt by chasing positive reinforcement until it damn near kills them or actually managed to kill some of their friends. It not only makes them more conscious of what can go wrong, but they've also learned to be suspicious of pleasure because of how many times they got hurt for it. Sure, adults love fun things like a good buzz, a good high, and other superficial things, but deep-seated pleasures that invigorate your soul and make you feel alive? We've learned to be VERY suspicious of those things because we know what it's like to have that ripped away from you and we don't want to risk that kind of traumatic experience again.

After all, consider the BDSM world. Consider how a REALLY REALLY REALLY good session of any kind you dig makes you feel, regardless of whether there's sex involved...now, can getting drunk, stoned, or banged up from kayaking make you feel that same kind of "floating in warm milk" kind of trance-like state of bliss? Close, but not quite. And what context is needed for that kind of experience to happen? A closed scene with the right mood and a person you absolutely trust.

Think about it. As a kid, you can have that experience doing just about anything. But as an adult, you have to create laboratory environs to make it happen.

But as far as tickling specifically goes, you kinda have to be into it to begin with. For every kid who's ever been tickled to the point of crying/peeing/etc. and turned off to it, you have at least one kid who never liked it to begin with. If they're already into it, that whole "if it feels good, DO IT" sort of mentality that kids have probably makes tickling the greatest thing since sliced bread...but if they're not into the sensation, then it's the worst thing ever doubled down.

 

[natalie6282]

why despised it as a child?

I've seen older people tickle each other. I DESPISED it as a child, and I love it more as I grow older, but that's probably just from being comfortable with myself and admitting it's sexual for me.

 

[helplessandhappy]

Because it's awful! I can't imagine anything more horrifying than an adult overpowering me and tickling me when I was too small to defend myself. It luckily didn't happen often because I would usually scream bloody murder or cry, but when it did, it was humiliating and scary. For that reason, it's hard for me to understand "tickle enthusiast" types who enjoy it in all areas of their lives. I relate more to the tickle-hating vanillas except receiving it from that one special person happens to turn me on like crazy! For me, it's purely sexual and always will be. It's just how I'm wired.

 

[Janga]

Like many of you I encountered many occasions of tickling as a child and saw many between same sex and opposite in both directions, the thing I note about it in adult life is those that had kids of there own seem to drop tickling as a pleasure for adults, singles or childless people seem to stick to tickling, but a percentage of those will only tickle another persons kids, and the remainder have either had no bad experience with tickling over the years or simply love it that much that it will never leave them, and they tickle all if the get the opportunity.