- Experts say it’s common for the playful sensation to cause pain
- Children may laugh as a nervous reflex and be unable to stop the tickling
- READ MORE: Do you laugh in your sleep? It can be a serious health problem
Adults should think twice before tickling a child, experts warn.
Researchers say that when some parents initiate the sensation of playful behavior, they do so because of unconscious “sadistic impulses.”
Although tickling will make most children laugh, research shows that it makes some uncomfortable and that the laughter may just be a nervous reflex.
Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist from Beverly Hills, California, who has been an expert witness in child abuse cases, recently warned that tickling can disrupt children’s views on physical boundaries.
Although tickling will make most children laugh, research shows that it makes some uncomfortable and that the laughter may just be a nervous reflex
“If they don’t enjoy it and the tickling continues,” she told the website Kars4Kids Parenting.
‘It has the potentially negative effect of making children feel like they don’t have the right to boundaries about who touches them and how.’
Some children feel ‘uncomfortable with surprises’, but that can also be the case sparked by the child’s laughter. Dr. Lieberman adds, “We laugh or smile as an automatic response to tickling, not necessarily because we enjoy it. Unfortunately this gives the tickler the wrong impression, when in reality we are not enjoying it and want them to stop.’
Dr. Fran Walfish, a Beverly Hills-based family and relationship psychotherapist and author, echoed Dr. Lieberman.
He told Kars4Kids that some children who are “extremely sensitive” may find tickling painful.
‘If there are two people involved, it has to be a good feeling for both of them. If tickling your child is okay for you and it causes your child pain or discomfort, you need to examine your own sadistic impulses.
“If your child asks you to stop, STOP. You must respect your child’s word and voice with the same weight that you would respect your spouse or anyone else you love.”
Tickling was used as a form of torture in ancient China and Rome, and a form of tickling is still used as punishment in Japan
The experts say that the disadvantages of tickling come with a power imbalance. The tickler has the upper hand, while the person being tickled is powerless.
A 1997 study found that most people don’t like being tickled and only seem to do it because they’re laughing.
Some parenting commentators have emphasized that tickling was used as a form of torture in some ancient cultures. The Han Dynasty court in China used tickling to punish nobles because it leaves no marks and recovers quickly.
The Romans also used tickling as torture and encouraged goats to lick people’s feet by dipping their toes in salt.
More recently, Kusuguri-zeme, which translates to “merciless tickling,” was a popular form of torture in Japan.