One of the most basic observations about tickling is that one does not laugh and smile when one tries to tickle oneself. The inability to self-tickle is compelling evidence that tickling requires some factor beyond just a particular sort of physical stimulation of the ribs, feet, or other body part. However, the precise nature of the additional factor has been the subject of some debate (Harris...

Laughter is an ancient signal of social communication among humans and non-human primates. Laughter types with complex social functions (e.g., taunt and joy) presumably evolved from the unequivocal and reflex-like social bonding signal of tickling laughter already present in non-human primates. Here, we investigated the modulations of cerebral connectivity associated with different laughter typ...

One of the most basic observations about tickling is that one does not laugh and smile when one tries to tickle oneself. The inability to self-tickle is compelling evidence that tickling requires some factor beyond just a particular sort of physical stimulation of the ribs, feet, or other body part. However, the precise nature of the additional factor has been the subject of some debate (Harris...

The nature of ticklish smiling and the possible emotional state that accompanies it have been pondered since the ancient Greeks. Socrates proposed that tickle induced pleasure and pain. Others, including Darwin, have claimed that ticklish laughter is virtually the same as humorous laughter. The present study is the first to systematically examine facial behavior and self-reports of emotion in r...

Stimulating the brain by either direct or eddy electrical currents for medical and research purposes has a long history. One of the first records dates back to 43AD and is attributed to Scribonius Largus, physician of the Roman Empire, who reported the treatment of migraines and headache through application of electrical currents with the torpedo fish. In the 15th century, Paracelsus suggested ...

The burst of laughter that is evoked by tickling is a primitive form of vocalization. It evolves during an early phase of postnatal life and appears to be independent of higher cortical circuits. Clinicopathological observations have led to suspicions that the hypothalamus is directly involved in the production of laughter. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation, healthy pa...