# Why can't you tickle yourself?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-tickle-yourself/844242>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 1, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-tickle-yourself/844242 "2019-12-01T20:28:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-tickle-yourself/844242/1 "2019-12-01T20:28:08Z")

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I’ll tell you why this question occurred to me, I’m an ICU Nurse and I was evaluating an anoxic brain injury patient and looking at her Babinski reflexes. You swipe the bottom of the foot and the toes curl. But here’s the thing, if I do that to me, it doesn’t work. Knowing that brought me to the question. I mean, I can’t tickle myself _either_, but I can be tickled, and my motor reflexes (like the Babinski) will work if somebody else provides the stimulus. Why is that? Why is the outside stimulant the factor here?

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**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-tickle-yourself/844242/2 "2019-12-01T20:43:25Z")

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[https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=861328](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=861328)