# Can You Tickle Yourself? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 13, 2003, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124 "2003-07-13T07:22:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sacrilegium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@Sacrilegium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sacrilegium)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/1 "2003-07-13T07:22:48Z")
I’ve heard in the past that it’s not possible to tickle yourself. I figured it was just an old wives’ tale of some sort, because I _can_. I ran across [this article](http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/70/81115.htm) on MSN earlier, which got me thinking about it again. I Googled a little and found [another article](http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/tickling000911.html) claiming that it’s “impossible” thanks to the cerebellum. Now, am I missing my cerebellum or are these articles worded a little too strongly? I’m willing to accept either answer at this point. Can any of you tickle yourselves? ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/2 "2003-07-13T07:30:55Z")
I had a boyfriend a few years back who liked nothing better than tickling himself…he swore that he got as many jollies from that as from having someone else tickling him. It was a most disconcerting sight to watch him running his fingers over his back and shoulders. He was a moron in other ways too, of course. So, at least anecdotely, you CAN tickle yourself. Or HE can. Whatever. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/3 "2003-07-13T09:22:31Z")
I can’t. That’s why it’s much so much more fun when someone else does. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/4 "2003-07-13T09:33:42Z")
I’m pretty ticklish in other places, but for some reason I can only tickle myself on the soles of my feet. ---
**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/5 "2003-07-13T11:38:11Z")
I’m a rather odd one… Not only can I tickle myself if I want to… I can turn off my tickle response to others if I don’t wanna be ticklish. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/6 "2003-07-13T13:30:36Z")
It’s not nearly as intense as someone else doing it, but yeah, I can tickle my own feet and a few other spots. ---
**Author:** ![smaft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@smaft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smaft)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/7 "2003-07-13T16:45:43Z")
Put me on the list with **Sublight** and **Kayeby**. ---
**Author:** ![sonicsink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@sonicsink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sonicsink)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/8 "2003-07-13T17:25:45Z")
I can tickle the soles of my feet myself and the roof of my mouth with my tongue. ---
**Author:** ![big\_alex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e56c9b/32.png) [@big\_alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/big_alex)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/9 "2003-07-13T20:12:47Z")
I can tickle the right side of me stomach. It’s just in one bit though, really strange. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/10 "2003-07-14T00:48:30Z")
I can tickle the soles of my feet, but it doesn’t bring about the same reaction as when someone else does it. ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/11 "2003-07-14T04:44:30Z")
I can, but as a lot of the others have said before me, the sensation is not nearly as intense as what you have when someone else does it to you. It works best on the insides of my wrists, and, (assuming this still counts as “tickling yourself,” and not “inanimate object assisted tickling)” it’s even stronger if you use something other than your hands, like feathers or silk, etc. ---
**Author:** ![brainfizz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/da6949/32.png) [@brainfizz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainfizz)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/12 "2003-07-14T11:48:25Z")
I can tickle myself, and so can **everybody** I’ve met… try tickling the roof of your mouth with the tip of your tongue… ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/13 "2003-07-14T12:21:28Z")
Just my feet. But it looks silly. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by brainfizz \* > \*\*I can tickle myself, and so can **everybody** I’ve met… try tickling the roof of your mouth with the tip of your tongue… \*\* It doesn’t work for me! ---
**Author:** ![cagiva650](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cagiva650](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cagiva650)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-tickle-yourself/188124/14 "2003-07-14T14:02:50Z")
ha ha ha ha ha ha that tickles… now it itches, the roof of my mouth itches! I can lightly touch the inside of my forearm and that tickles.