Tickling is a curious phenomenon, a sensation we surrender to almost like a reflex. A self-produced tactile stimulus is perceived as less ticklish than the same stimulus generated externally. When we tickle ourselves, we don’t laugh. However, when someone else does it, we laugh. How can we explain that? A researcher has suggested that may be: (i) the predictability of the stimulus; (ii) the presence of feedback from the movement of the arm doing the tickling; (iii) the presence of a corollary discharge from the voluntary movement of the tickling arm; (iv) the absence of a social/sexual context.
Dear Yanick,
perhaps these works could partially answer to your question. They seem a good starting point for further investigations:
1: Blakemore SJ, Wolpert DM, Frith CD. Central cancellation of self-produced
tickle sensation. Nat Neurosci. 1998 Nov;1(7):635-40. PubMed PMID: 10196573.
2: Blakemore SJ, Wolpert D, Frith C. Why can't you tickle yourself? Neuroreport.
2000 Aug 3;11(11):R11-6. Review. PubMed PMID: 10943682.
Good luck,
Piero
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