New study sheds light on its surprising role in adult sexuality

Tickling can also play a surprising role in adult sexuality. Researchers from have conducted a first-of-its-kind study, revealing that tickling can serve as a sufficient sexual stimulus for many, with some individuals even experiencing orgasms from tickling alone. This study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, suggests that our understanding of what can provoke sexual pleasure might be broader than traditionally thought.

Tickle fetishism, also known as knismolagnia, refers to a sexual arousal or gratification that some individuals derive from tickling or being tickled. This fetish can involve various dynamics, such as the exchange of power, the sensation of touch, and the emotional reactions elicited by tickling.

“We were interested in this topic for several reasons,” said study author Sarah Dagher, a PhD candidate at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. “Our lab is working on the neurobiological basis of tickling in a playful context particularly in rats. While tickling is a common human experience, it is rarely studied in the scientific field.”

“Tickling has been studied as a tactile sensation in the context of playfulness in biology and documented as a form of torture in ancient Rome, therefore it appears that tickling can serve multiple functions and hold different meanings which made us wonder whether it can also be implicated in human sexual behavior. There is almost no literature on tickling in a sexual context, except for a very few case reports. In addition, we encountered a tickle fetishism community online which made it possible to conduct this survey study.”

“Previous studies on ticklishness have mainly focused on the sensory consequences and playful aspects of tickling. In our study, we investigated the role of tickling in a sexual context for the first time,” added Shimpei Ishiyama, the head of the Neurogelotology Research Group at the Institute of Pathophysiology at the University Medical Center Mainz.

The researchers employed an online survey method to gather detailed data on how adults perceive and use tickling in a sexual context. Participants were recruited with the help of social media influencers within the tickle fetish community, who shared the survey link to their followers. This method was instrumental in reaching individuals who are actively engaged with or interested in tickle fetishism, thus providing a concentrated sample of relevant respondents. Over the course of 108 days, a total of 719 participants completed the 43-question survey.

One of the most striking results from the survey was the high percentage of participants who reported sexual satisfaction from tickling alone. About 88% of respondents indicated that they derived sexual pleasure from tickling without the need for other forms of sexual stimulation. Additionally, the researchers found that a notable 25% of participants experienced orgasms exclusively through tickling. This finding underscores tickling’s potential as a primary sexual stimulus for certain individuals.

Dagher was surprised to find that “some participants reported that tickling alone can lead to orgasm without genital stimulation.”

The findings highlight that “the spectrum of what can lead to sexual pleasure is broader than what we previously thought and extends beyond conventional concepts,” she told PsyPost.

The preferences for types of tickling and specific body parts also varied among participants, illustrating a diverse spectrum of ticklishness and erotic focus. The majority of respondents favored light tickling (knismesis), which involves gentle, feather-like touches that do not necessarily induce laughter but can evoke sensual pleasure. This type of tickling was preferred for its subtler, more nuanced stimulation compared to vigorous tickling (gargalesis), which is more intense and often leads to uncontrollable laughter.

“Most participants reported childhood experiences to shape their fetishism development,” Dagher said. A large majority (70.1%) of those who enjoyed being tickled during childhood continued to enjoy it as adults, whereas only a smaller portion (20.6%) of those who preferred to tickle others reported enjoying being tickled in their youth.

Interestingly, 9.4% of those who enjoyed being tickled during childhood grew to dislike it later. Conversely, among those who disliked being tickled during childhood, the majority expressed a dislike for being tickled in adulthood.

Gender differences in tickling preferences were apparent as well. A larger percentage of female respondents reported a preference for being tickled rather than performing the tickling, suggesting a potential gender dynamic in how tickling is experienced and enjoyed in sexual contexts. The survey also revealed that the use of tools in tickling practices was common, with hands, fingers, nails, feathers, and brushes being among the most frequently mentioned implements used to enhance the tickling experience.

The researchers also observed significant variability in how individuals’ ticklishness changed during continuous tickling. Specifically, 40.6% of participants reported an increase in their sensitivity to tickling, feeling “somewhat more ticklish” or “getting more and more ticklish” as the tickling continued. Meanwhile, 15.8% of the respondents noted that their ticklishness varied each time they were tickled.

“The degree of ticklishness over time varies between people: some feel more ticklish, others become less ticklish and some do not feel a change in ticklishness,” Dagher said.

This pioneering study, while insightful, has limitations due to its survey-based approach and the self-selecting nature of participants — primarily individuals interested in tickling fetishism who are active on social media. These factors may limit the generalizability of the findings to the broader population.

Future research could benefit from a more diverse demographic sampling and experimental methods to explore the physiological and psychological responses to tickling in sexual contexts. Further studies could also investigate the neural mechanisms behind tickling’s ability to evoke sexual arousal and satisfaction.

“This study is not intended to encourage or promote tickling as any form of solution for any sexual issue,” Dagher noted. “However, we aim to highlight the existence of a wide, previously unknown community with special sexual preferences.”

The study, “Tickle fetishism: pleasure beyond playfulness,” was published April 2, 2024.