# It's not funny - why do we laugh when tickled?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-funny-why-do-we-laugh-when-tickled/387384>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 10, 2007, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-funny-why-do-we-laugh-when-tickled/387384 "2007-01-10T05:58:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-funny-why-do-we-laugh-when-tickled/387384/1 "2007-01-10T05:58:35Z")

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I HATE being tickled, but on those rare occasions where someone gets the better of me and commits tickling, my physical reaction is laughter. I am not enjoying myself, it does not feel good, and in fact I am getting more and mor furious by the second, but I’m still laughing. What the heck kind of goofy-ass reflex is this, anyway?

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**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-funny-why-do-we-laugh-when-tickled/387384/2 "2007-01-10T13:51:04Z")

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A partial answer seems to be… no one is sure.

[The Master speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_207.html).

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**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2007, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-funny-why-do-we-laugh-when-tickled/387384/3 "2007-01-10T16:10:10Z")

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Leave it to me to find a question no one knows the answer to.

Crap.