Orgasms just a tickle away for some, study says

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Tickling is no torture for many, according to a new study.

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In fact, of those surveyed, one-quarter said they’ve orgasmed from being tickled.

Research was conducted by scientists at University Medical Center Mainz in Germany, with the goal of analyzing “how adults use tickling in connection with sexual activity.”

“Previous studies on ticklishness have mainly focused on the sensory consequences and playful aspects of tickling,” lead scientist, Dr. Shimpei Ishiyama, said in a news release about the research, per the New York Post. “In our study, we investigated the role of tickling in a sexual context for the first time.”

The scientists recruited some 719 people who professed to have a tickling fetish to find out whether they experienced arousal from the act.

The results showed that one quarter could reach climax from being tickled — even without the stimulation of their genitals.

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According to Ishiyama, “relevant childhood experiences, such as the depiction of tickling in cartoons, played a decisive role in some of the respondents developing a tickling fetish later on.”

The study results should reframe how we understand human sexuality, the scientist and his team said, because they prove that many people experience erotic pleasure through acts that are widely regarded as non-sexual.

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“The range of experiences that lead to sexual pleasure is much wider than previously recognized,” Ishiyama said.

“Tickling is an intimate activity that requires a certain level of mutual trust. It can bond individuals and serve as an outlet for sexual energy,” he added. “Future studies should therefore investigate the mechanisms by which tickling triggers sexual pleasure. Our study results could pave the way for this further research into human sexuality.”

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