Tickling is common and typically viewed as juvenile play linked to laughter.
Touch studies, however, often neglect to explore its sexual dimensions.
To address this research gap, a 2024 study published in Frontiers in Psychology asked hundreds of people in the tickle fetish community about their practices and preferences. With their findings, researchers aim to lay the groundwork for developing new theories about tickling fetish behaviors.
What is a Tickling Fetish?
According to sex ed site Kinkly, a tickling fetish “refers to a sexual arousal by or sexual interest in tickling or in the sensations of being tickled.”
For tickle fetishists, the act of tickling can be both a form of sensory play and an expression of power dynamics. The roles of the “tickler” and “ticklee” can also be compared to those of a dominant and a submissive in BDSM.
Method
To engage people interested in tickle fetishism, researchers shared an online survey on X (formerly Twitter) with the help of five tickle fetish influencers.
“Thanks to social media, the existence of tickle fetishists community has been spotlighted so that we scientists can reach them,” said study lead Shimpei Ishiyama, Ph.D., who has been studying the neurobiology of ticklishness in rats and humans for 10 years.
Available in English and Japanese, questions explored tickling and its association with sexual satisfaction. The survey received 719 responses: 193 English and 526 Japanese.
Most participants were heterosexual (80%) men (74%) identifying as East Asian (73%), with 21% identifying as women. Additionally, North Americans made up 14%, and Europeans accounted for 8% of the participants.
Regarding age, most were 20 to 29 (56%), with 23% between 30 and 39 and 14% between 18 and 19.
Findings
The unique study uncovered significant connections between tickling and sexual behavior.
Orgasm, arousal, and satisfaction
Tickling held sexual meaning for over two-thirds of participants. After reaching orgasm, over half (52%) also experienced a decrease in desire to tickle or be tickled.
About 1 in 4 experienced orgasm with tickling alone (24%), while 88% found sexual satisfaction through tickling alone.
“We were surprised that tickling alone can induce orgasm in some people. Although non-genital orgasm is described in scientific literature, we do not find tickling-induced orgasm in previous studies,” said Dr. Ishiyama.
Still, nearly half (48%) of the participants reported that they can be sexually satisfied with sex without tickling.
“Our interpretation here is that tickling is sufficient but not necessary for sexual satisfaction among the fetishists.”
That said, ticklees and ticklers enjoy it for different reasons.
Ticklees reported being aroused primarily from the physical sensation (89%), feelings of helplessness/submissiveness (74%), and anticipation of being tickled (72%).
Ticklers, on the other hand, reported arousal mainly from observing the ticklee’s body reactions (91%), the sound of their voice (86%), and the sense of power from tickling (86%). More than two-thirds (69%) also enjoyed touching the ticklee’s body.
Tickling practices and influences
Most tickling sessions lasted 10 to 29 minutes, usually involving romantic partners or spouses (60%) and friends (56%).
Over a fifth of respondents (21%) include tickling in every sexual activity. Nearly all (99.7%) used hands/fingers/nails for tickling. Other tools included feathers, tongues, brushes, gloves, massagers, lubricants/oils, and combs.
More than half (51%) said their fetish was influenced by viewing tickling scenes on TV and social media.
Many respondents (42%) also cited childhood tickling experiences as a starting point for their fetish. Of those who enjoyed being tickled as children, a majority (70%) said they enjoyed being tickled as adults.
Tickling, intensity and BDSM
Research found that tickling fetishists often prefer more intense sexual experiences.
Furthermore, being ticklish was linked to being interested in BDSM and enjoying being tickled by others. Over half of participants also reported being sexually aroused by BDSM acts other than tickling. Yet, people who are into BDSM tend to be more sexually satisfied without tickling.
Speaking to Kinkly, a tickle play enthusiast named Wren shared insights on exploring power dynamics with her partner through tickling:
“For me, it’s always been about either control or lack thereof. [My significant other] and I have tried a lot of different things—we’ve really run the BDSM gamut. Tickling him feels similar to me, at least psychologically, as edging him, spanking him, or tying him up.”
“I’m super turned on by pushing the boundaries with my partner in a safe way. Tickling has been such a great avenue for that. It feels a little naughtier, and that suits both of us.”
Tickling tomorrow’s research needs
Tickling isn’t just for giggles.
This study shows significant associations between the act of tickling and sex for people in the tickle fetish community.
From tickling alone, many reached orgasm while most reported being sexually satisfied. After having an orgasm, the majority also felt a drop in desire to tickle or be tickled.
In addition, research uncovered overlaps between tickling and BDSM. It also revealed that pleasurable childhood experiences and media exposure to tickling were both linked to the development of a tickling fetish.
By investigating an underexplored topic, the study contributes to our understanding of tickle fetishism as a distinct sexual preference.
However, this topic offers many possibilities for deeper study. Specifically, Dr. Ishiyama points to examining the “neurophysiological mechanisms of how tickling stimulus can evoke orgasm.”
He added that the impact of watching tickling in media during childhood was surprising. More studies are needed to investigate if it causes tickling fetishes.
Gathering more quality data can unlock a whole new world of tickling fetish discoveries.
Featured Image Source: iStock
