Tickle is a tingling, tactile sensation, considered both pleasant and unpleasant, which results in laughter , smiling, and involuntary twitching movements of the head, limbs, and torso. Examples of light tickle include touching the sole of the foot with a feather, and feeling a fly walk about on one's knee. An example of heavy tickling is indenting the skin of another's ribs or waist with one's poking fingertips.
Mutual laughter stimulated by tickling can promote bonding and strengthen emotional ties.
Tickling reinforces psychological closeness through the physical medium of touch. Tickling the neck, armpits, and sides of the abdomen may also arouse sexual feelings, as it stimulates nonspecific erogenous areas of the skin. Word origin . Consumer product . Tickle Elmo once to make him giggle.