You won't experience the typical ticklish sensation if you try to tickle yourself. This is because your brain anticipates the contact and neutralizes the feeling.
Why Can't You Tickle Yourself?
The reason you can't tickle yourself lies in how your brain processes touch. When someone else tickles you, your brain is surprised by the unexpected touch, which leads to the familiar ticklish sensation and laughter. However, when you try to tickle yourself, your brain is not surprised; it anticipates the touch.
Anticipation Neutralizes the Sensation
As the provided reference states, "If we grab our sides in an attempt to tickle ourselves, our brain anticipates this contact from the hands and prepares itself for it. By taking away the feeling of unease and panic, the body no longer responds the same as it would if someone else were to tickle us."
- Brain Prediction: When you initiate the tickle, your brain's cerebellum predicts the sensations that are about to occur.
- Signal Cancellation: This prediction effectively cancels out the 'surprise' element, which is crucial for the feeling of being tickled.
- No Ticklish Response: The result is that you don't experience the same laughter or involuntary reactions that someone else can provoke.
Example
- Imagine someone else unexpectedly tickles your ribs; you likely laugh and squirm.
- Now, imagine reaching down and trying to tickle your own ribs. You'll likely feel the touch, but not the uncontrollable ticklish sensation.
Summary
| Aspect | Tickled by Others | Tickling Yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Brain Response | Unexpected touch, surprise | Anticipated touch, prediction |
| Sensation | Ticklish, laughter, squirming | Normal touch, no surprise |
| Result | Involuntary laughter/reaction | No ticklish response |
In essence, the absence of surprise prevents you from tickling yourself.
