Tickling game


Tickling games are interpersonal or social activities involving the tickling of one person by another. Some people find tickling to not only be a pleasurable experience, but also an erotic one. They may be sexually excited by being tickled or by tickling another person, some people like being tickled on their genitals, their waist, their feet, their underarms, their anus or their breasts while others prefer to tickle and some like doing both. Some engage in tickling games as part of a social act.

Terminology

Knismolagnia is the experience of "arousal from tickling". Acarophilia, often confused with knismolagnia, refers to arousal from scratching.

Overview

Consensual tickling can be regarded as a form of physical intimacy as it involves the touching of one person's body by another. It could serve as a bonding experience between friends, or a simple act of familiarity and trust. Between adults, it sometimes functions as an outlet for sexual energy, with erotic games, foreplay and sex being the primary methods of doing such.

Tickling games

Some people take part in tickling games or contests which test their endurance to being tickled, for amusement, erotic pleasure, or other reasons. These games may involve some form of physical restraint of the person to be tickled to prevent them protecting the ticklish spots or otherwise interfering with the game. Common positions for tickling are the over-arm tie, the hogtie, spread-eagle, with the person being tied up, cuffed or in stocks. The restraints may be left loose to increase the amount of possible movement, but short of the person being able to protect the ticklish spots. On the other hand, some participants prefer very tight bondage. The tied person may also be blindfolded to increase the anxiety and surprise element.
The objective of such games is to generate uncontrollable writhing, struggling, laughing and vocalizations etc., from the person being tickled, while the person tries to control such reactions, without the ability to physically defend the ticklish spots.
In dominance and submission scenarios, sexual partners may agree upon a safeword such as "falafel", "watermelon", or "bicycle" to signal that tickling should stop.