vulnerability/hedonism theory make the most sense to me, but who the eff knows. comforting to see it’s some kind of cultural universal.

i was getting a physical last year and my primary care person was going through the motions, but when she reached up and touched my neck from both sides to do a gland check (very mechanically, with gloves on, i assure you all) i involuntarily jerked away when she made contact and pressed. she apologized for having cold hands and i said, “it wasn’t that… for some reason that tickled.” she chuckled and then everything else went along normally. ive never been ticklish there and i’m pretty good at resisting reaction when people test one of my spots.

the psychological dimension to tickling is weird. like some people can’t tickle me and others can easily, like without even trying.