Why exactly, does tickling arouse us?

[IrvingKrebb]

I've thought about this for a long time and I have concluded that it's the honest reaction of the ticklee that drives the bus, so to speak. As ticklers/ticklees, we all know when someone is faking or phoning it in, and that's a turn off. But tickling someone who is genuinely ticklish...those honest reactions are why I do it. You hear someone laugh and you wonder how they'd laugh if you tickled them. It's a different laugh, it's an absolutely honest, uncontrollable laugh, and that's the thing that drives my nerves like nothing else. Honesty.

 

[gigglemakr]

I've thought about this for a long time and I have concluded that it's the honest reaction of the ticklee that drives the bus, so to speak. As ticklers/ticklees, we all know when someone is faking or phoning it in, and that's a turn off. But tickling someone who is genuinely ticklish...those honest reactions are why I do it. You hear someone laugh and you wonder how they'd laugh if you tickled them. It's a different laugh, it's an absolutely honest, uncontrollable laugh, and that's the thing that drives my nerves like nothing else. Honesty.

I agree with Irving completely, and just want to add a comment about what I call a "tickle smile". When I have had a lee stretched out, I might have my hand resting on her side doing nothing. But if I take my index finger and start to softly stroke her, she may not laugh at that time, but her lips will curl up into a very pretty smile, and since she is so ticklish she can't prevent that smile no matter how hard she tries. I love how much power one single finger can have, and I think a "tickle smile" is so genuine. And a "tickle laugh" is also different than a "joke laugh", and if you stop a tickle video, you'll also see that "tickle smile" there too. Keep that bus moving.

 

[Irvine]

I wrote a piece about this back in the mid-80's,.... back in the emerging-community days of desperate postal mail contacts, polaroids and 20th generation photocopies.

Pretty obviously there's a variant of the power exchange psychology going on - that much goes without saying, eh? The old D/S,.. or S/M,... take your pick. And, as with anything which involves physical touching, there's an intimacy quotient at work. I mean tickling requires the sharing of one's body in ways which are reserved for special persons and purposes.

And my own personal favorite theory involved the analogous nature of tickling to sex, itself. After all, they both entail the stimulation of highly sensitive nerve endings, and they both produce powerful responses. Hell, tickling can lead to climax in some cases,..... gotta be related.

I think that analogy was a great but it definitely is different for all.

For me, it has never really been anything related to dominance. I dislike bondage quite a bit, I rather like it when the lee is willing to hold still as best possible; probably why most vids aren't too much in my taste. Because I like it to be willing I think there is a level of intimacy that goes into it for me that just can't be had with the use of objects and such.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

Thanks.What is your favorite type of tickle torture?

Well, I suppose it depends on the lee, but I guess I like tickle torture the best. Driving someone to the edge... observing the dawning realization that they really can't escape, then watching as they're driven to their limit and past it. Sweating, squealing, panting, begging, the whole lot... I love the look of agony on a lee's face when you find that one spot and they really can't take it anymore. Beautiful. Of course, great bondage is a given; I like my lees to be completely immobile.

I love tickling feet the best, I guess, cuz I have a foot thing too, but I've found the hips and the ribs are usually the most universally ticklish spots. Ticklish nipples are sexy as hell, too.

Love the control. And I'm a switch, too, so when someone does this to me I get off on the vulnerability of my position.


Great thread.

 

[PiedPiper]

That's it.

...is that it purely depends, if you're exclusively a 'ler like I am, on the 'lee. Just like no man is going to find every woman sexually attractive in the traditional sense, no male 'ler, like myself, is going to "connect" with every female 'lee to the point where the tickling becomes arousing. I think one very crucial element to the tickling experience is being in tune with what the 'lee likes, can withstand, and so on, and to cater the experience to best suit her. For someone like me, that means keeping fully in mind that, if SHE'S not having fun, then I'M not having fun, period. But the sexual stimulation goes far beyond just being on the same page. I have a truly exquisite and entirely lovely regular lady 'lee for whom the tickleplay with me is also arousing and sensual, and, admittedly, it took many play sessions and several months to achieve that, but I'm incredibly fortunate that it happened. It's also important to note that there are "triggers" that are unique to everyone that obviously enhance the sexuality of the experience. Some of mine, for example, are when my lady 'lee wiggles her toes when I'm tickling her feet, or when she says certain "buzz words" like "Mercy!" or "Oh my God!" through her lovely giggles. But it ultimately depends on both parties involved whether or not the overall tickling experience is going to reach that plateau of being sexually arousing beyond just being fun, and I wish everyone great success in discovering what I've managed to with the purely angelic and throughly beautiful lady 'lee I have the great privilege to play with every week without fail.

_____________________________________

Sounds like a good wrap-up to me,..... Well said.

 

[kingp]

For me, I'd have to say that its when you force a lady to first smirk, then smile, then begin giggling uncontrollably in response to what you are doing. The soft feel of her skin under your fingertips...the beautiful and sexy smiling, the laughter building my libido - angel's music to my ears. Having a woman who also finds tickling as erotic as I do only makes it a match made in heaven. Entering a woman, and then gently spidering your fingers along the hollow of an underarm as her wrists remain tied overhead...there's no way not to be brought over the edge that way.....

Performing Oral sex on her while you gently caress her rib cage and waist...causing spasmodic giggles and cooing moans...is ambrosia to me.

Gentle tickling as foreplay is the hottest thing for me....I go from zero to ready in no time...

Seeing a woman kneeling with her two bare soles facing upward...a sirens call for my fingers....to begin playtime...her knowing such action would lead to the inevitable gentle tickle along her soles..

Hell anyone knows that tickle fights usually lead to kissing....LOL

 

[Soda Bobinski]

Hm , I dunno 'bout y'all , but tickling doesn't arouse me.

However , it does tend to make my penis extremely hard.

 

[totoforhire]

Hm , I dunno 'bout y'all , but tickling doesn't arouse me.

However , it does tend to make my penis extremely hard.

lolololololol I enjoyed that.

 

[Merkle'sBoner]

For me, I think its the variety of possible reactions. Everyone, assuming they're healthy, enjoy and desire sex. Everyone likes having orgasms, or would like it if they ever had one. 100% of the people in any room asked that question will raise their hands. About as straightforward as it gets right there. Being tickled is a different story.

Some women will go batshit crazy like OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD STAAAAAHHHHPPPP!!! like they would rather get waterboarded than tickled. Others will just throw back their heads and laugh their asses off. Some hate being ticklish and wish to god they weren't, others find it funny as hell that they're ticklish. Some are extremely ticklish here, but not at all there, or vice versa. Some are extremely ticklish everywhere, and unfortunately some aren't ticklish anywhere (that they know of anyway ) Some try to resist laughing, others love to laugh in general so why would they try not to? Some start begging right away, others are smart asses and will deny, while laughing hysterically, that it even tickles! LOL I could go on and on, probably.

The short answer is that a person you find attractive sexually, who is also ticklish, is the most amazing fucking thing in the history of the universe. Following at a close second, is pizza.

 

[waitin2btkled]

Restraints, squirming, The point where the lee "realizes" the tickling is too much and has no choice but to sit there and take it.....ect

 

[Feathery]

I honestly don't know. All I know is I've been into it as far back as when I was about 5 or 6 years old, and I tickled a girl in kindergarten class.

 

[knudus]

I wrote a piece about this back in the mid-80's,.... back in the emerging-community days of desperate postal mail contacts, polaroids and 20th generation photocopies.

Pretty obviously there's a variant of the power exchange psychology going on - that much goes without saying, eh? The old D/S,.. or S/M,... take your pick. And, as with anything which involves physical touching, there's an intimacy quotient at work. I mean tickling requires the sharing of one's body in ways which are reserved for special persons and purposes.

And my own personal favorite theory involved the analogous nature of tickling to sex, itself. After all, they both entail the stimulation of highly sensitive nerve endings, and they both produce powerful responses. Hell, tickling can lead to climax in some cases,..... gotta be related.

Totaly agree with this!

Also there is another thing - which may seem weird if i can't explain it right, but compared to other BDSM stuff it is the real thing.

Take whipping for instance. Obviously you would not want to whip somebody "for real" meaning blood flowing etc. That is simply cruel, disgusting violence that no one should ever be subjected to. Same with "burning" for instance, we dont want to burn someone with hot irons!

So in bdsm we scale things down, use special floggers, hot wax etc. Ofcourse the pain can still be very real, but still it is a "toy world", the things we use and the way we use them is in part designed to make sure that we stay within the boundaries of the game.

No so with tickling! Assuming we both agree, we can take tickling to the max! There is no where else in space and time that tickle torture is done more for real than we can do it right here.

"did you whip her?" "yes i did" "for real?" "ofcouse not, I bought a flogger at the sex shop and I stopped when her butt turned red"

"did you tickle torture her?" "yes i did" "for real ?" "what do you mean? I tied her up and tickled her for 2 hours. How more real can it get?"

 

[PiedPiper]

Excellent point. I never thought of it that way, but it is absolutely true. Tickling need not be "relegated" to mere fantasy. Awesome.

 

[anonymiss86]

Yah I'm not sure either. I remember my love of tickling going back to as early as 2nd grade. I was fascinated but didn't realize that everyone else didn't feel the same way. I thought it was normal. I wasn't too daring but I remember tying one of my friends to their couch in 3rd grade and tickling them. I also remember sitting in my room with my TV and my Disney tapes around the same time and fast forwarding to the tickling scenes over and over. The most humiliating part was when one of my best friends mentioned it at her sweet 16 candle ceremony not realizing that it wasn't just a "phase". I think that it just went over everyones heads but I still felt my face get hot. 🙂

 

[gigglemakr]

For me, I'd have to say that its when you force a lady to first smirk, then smile, then begin giggling uncontrollably in response to what you are doing. The soft feel of her skin under your fingertips...the beautiful and sexy smiling, the laughter building my libido - angel's music to my ears. Having a woman who also finds tickling as erotic as I do only makes it a match made in heaven. Entering a woman, and then gently spidering your fingers along the hollow of an underarm as her wrists remain tied overhead...there's no way not to be brought over the edge that way.....

Performing Oral sex on her while you gently caress her rib cage and waist...causing spasmodic giggles and cooing moans...is ambrosia to me.

Gentle tickling as foreplay is the hottest thing for me....I go from zero to ready in no time...

Seeing a woman kneeling with her two bare soles facing upward...a sirens call for my fingers....to begin playtime...her knowing such action would lead to the inevitable gentle tickle along her soles..

Hell anyone knows that tickle fights usually lead to kissing....LOL

Perfect scenario, King. I posted on another thread similar thoughts where I refer to a "tickle-smile". Your scenario here details that perfectly. Love the sensual aspects of tickling.

 

[WilDnCrazyRia]

I agree being tied up and tickled really makes me hott and turns me on almost right away. Being tickled on my privates and every other spot will also do the trick. The squirming and struggling is a turn on for alot of others i'm sure.

 

[stroker]

When I was very young (way before puberty) thoughts of actual physical torture used to arouse me ( I had no idea why ) but gradually as I grew up I found such thoughts more and more disturbing whilst tickle fantasies increasingly took over, becoming more torturous over time. So im thinking that perhaps for me its a kind of relatively guilt free sadism.

 

[gigglemakr]

Perfect scenario, King. I posted on another thread similar thoughts where I refer to a "tickle-smile". Your scenario here details that perfectly. Love the sensual aspects of tickling.

OOOOps! I talked about "tickle smile" on THIS thread.