WEBVTT - What's the Science of Anger? 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:03.200 Guess what will what's that mango? So this is a 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:05.320 weird thing I remember from high school. But I was 0:00:05.440 --> 0:00:08.360 up late one night and I was watching a PBS interview, 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:10.680 you know, the way all the cool kids did when 0:00:10.680 --> 0:00:13.120 we were in high school when they're up late, of course, 0:00:13.160 --> 0:00:16.880 of course, but the guest was actually Rudy Giuliani, who 0:00:16.960 --> 0:00:19.680 at the time was famously cleaning up New York, and 0:00:19.800 --> 0:00:23.520 the interview asked him, how are you so effective? And 0:00:23.520 --> 0:00:26.440 he said, well, I just get annoyed by something, then 0:00:26.440 --> 0:00:29.080 I get really angry. Like the way he talked about 0:00:29.080 --> 0:00:31.160 it was almost like he hulked out on the topic. 0:00:31.680 --> 0:00:33.880 And then he said, I used that anger to work 0:00:33.960 --> 0:00:35.920 like crazy. All right, So you know, I know there 0:00:35.960 --> 0:00:38.080 are a lot of economic theories about why New York 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:40.600 got so much safer in the nineties, but the violence, 0:00:40.600 --> 0:00:44.280 they're definitely dropped during his term, Like there's no denying that. Yeah. 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:46.479 People used to refer to it like a Disneyland then. 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:48.239 Or around the same time I saw the interview, I 0:00:48.280 --> 0:00:51.400 read this thing about Bill Clinton and apparently he'd get 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:55.680 insanely angry every morning, like every morning he just unleashed 0:00:55.680 --> 0:00:58.280 on his top staffers and they called it an SMO 0:00:58.480 --> 0:01:02.960 or a standard morning out, and apparently his anger would disappear. 0:01:03.120 --> 0:01:05.760 You know, they said it burned clean. But as a kid, 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:07.800 the whole thing made me wonder, if I want to 0:01:07.840 --> 0:01:09.720 be a more effective leader, do I need to be 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:13.640 more angry? Because I'm not generally someone who gets that angry, 0:01:13.800 --> 0:01:15.679 or at least I wasn't until I had kids. But 0:01:16.240 --> 0:01:18.760 that's what today's show is all about, the science of anger. 0:01:19.120 --> 0:01:21.200 And we've also thrown in a little signs of tickling 0:01:21.240 --> 0:01:45.080 to lighten things up. Let's dive in aither podcast listeners, 0:01:45.120 --> 0:01:47.840 Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as always, 0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:50.360 I'm joined by my good friend Mangu show ticketer on 0:01:50.400 --> 0:01:53.040 the other side of the soundproof glass sporting this blood 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:56.280 red face pain, I mean blood red, and the angriest 0:01:56.320 --> 0:01:59.360 expression I have ever seen. That's our friend and producer 0:01:59.400 --> 0:02:02.240 Tristan mc So. Do we know why Tristan looks so 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:04.480 medacine today because we're like a minute into this and 0:02:04.520 --> 0:02:07.320 I'm already super uncomfortable. Oh, I'm with you on this, Mago. 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:08.800 I don't know. I think it's a new thing he 0:02:08.880 --> 0:02:11.160 wanted to try. Apparently he'd read about this. You know, 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:14.560 this constant visual reminder of anger is supposed to help 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:17.799 us stay on topic. But I really I don't think 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:20.239 we're gonna have any trouble staying on track today because 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:24.079 today we're talking about all the fascinating science behind anger. 0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:26.640 So we're gonna look at both the psychological and the 0:02:26.680 --> 0:02:29.880 physiological effects is as well as the common triggers that 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:32.440 prompted in the first place. And along the way, we're 0:02:32.480 --> 0:02:35.160 gonna explore a few potential ways to keep those angry 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:37.600 feelings in check, you know, the next time somebody cuts 0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:40.359 you off in traffic or just does whatever to make 0:02:40.400 --> 0:02:42.800 you angry. All right, mago, So so where do you 0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:46.840 want to start? Well, since Triston literally has us being 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:48.760 read this morning, let's start with the idea of the 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:51.680 angry face. So you know this one. It's when someone 0:02:51.720 --> 0:02:55.200 like lowers their eyebrows. They've got tight lips, flared nostrils, 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:59.000 all the telltale signs of someone's feeling mad. We're familiar 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:01.480 with it because anger is something we've all witnessed and 0:03:01.480 --> 0:03:04.200 felt firsthand. But the crazy thing is, it's not just 0:03:04.280 --> 0:03:07.960 the feeling that's universal, it's the expression itself. Social scientists 0:03:08.000 --> 0:03:10.800 have actually found that the specific muscle contractions that cause 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:14.679 our angry face are recognized across cultures, and in fact, 0:03:14.720 --> 0:03:16.960 even children who have been blind since birth make the 0:03:16.960 --> 0:03:19.720 face when they're feeling angry, and that's without ever having 0:03:19.760 --> 0:03:22.600 seen the expression themselves. I find stuff like that just 0:03:22.680 --> 0:03:26.000 so fascinating. So so this isn't a learned behavior then, 0:03:26.000 --> 0:03:28.120 So does that mean that an angry face is just 0:03:28.400 --> 0:03:31.679 like part of our biology or something. Yeah, so many 0:03:31.720 --> 0:03:35.160 researchers think the specific representation of anger is an involved 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:38.400 trait that most humans share. So the question then becomes why, Like, 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:42.000 what's the advantage of this universal angry face? So do 0:03:42.080 --> 0:03:45.080 they have like do they have an answer for this? Well, 0:03:45.120 --> 0:03:47.320 I mean we do have a few good guesses. For 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:49.520 for example, most psychologists see anger as a way to 0:03:49.600 --> 0:03:52.920 signal that you feel wronged or that you're unhappy about it. 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:55.840 But researchers that you see Santa Barbara and like Griffith 0:03:55.960 --> 0:03:58.880 University in Australia have actually gone a step further and 0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:01.400 according to them, anger evolved to serve as kind of 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:04.480 a bargaining tool during times of conflict, and, as one 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:07.160 professor of psychology put it, the greater the harm and 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:11.559 individual can inflict the more bargaining power he or she wields, 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:15.040 And researchers actually called this bargaining through menace. It's a 0:04:15.120 --> 0:04:17.680 specific term. And the idea is that anger is a 0:04:17.680 --> 0:04:20.320 way to let others know that something is unacceptable to 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:22.680 you and that there's going to be conflict until the 0:04:22.720 --> 0:04:26.080 offending party acts to make the situation better. All right, 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:29.280 So we've kind of evolved this shared facial expression to 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:31.279 help deliver that message to each other. And that that 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:34.080 all makes sense. But why this specific expression, like why 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:37.680 the lowered brows or the flared nostrils. So I looked 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:39.880 into this a little as well, and all the features 0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:42.000 that make up the angry face are natural signs of 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:44.919 aggression in their own right. I mean, it's something we 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:47.640 see in the animal kingdom as well. Right, Like one 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:50.320 researcher said, quote, you can think of the anger face 0:04:50.360 --> 0:04:53.480 as a constellation of features, each of which makes you 0:04:53.560 --> 0:04:56.919 appear physically more formidable. Well that's interesting, though, I do 0:04:57.000 --> 0:04:59.000 have to say, like it's a little unsettling to think 0:04:59.040 --> 0:05:01.200 that anytime my kids they're making an angry face, they're 0:05:01.200 --> 0:05:05.360 they're actually kind of threatening physical violence. Well of my kids, 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:08.120 it certainly helps their bargaining stance. But one of the 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:11.880 lead researchers that u CSP John Toby, has actually suggested 0:05:12.000 --> 0:05:15.120 something much more strange. He thinks that angry faces among 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:18.119 friends and family might be a little different. In this case, 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:20.880 they're more of a way to emotionally manipulate loved ones 0:05:20.880 --> 0:05:23.960 into cooperating in the long term. So, for example, if 0:05:23.960 --> 0:05:26.280 a friend blows off your plans to hang out and 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:28.880 instead goes to see a movie, you're likely to feel 0:05:28.920 --> 0:05:31.760 angry because they slighted you and showed less respect than 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:35.000 you expected. Al Right, So in this case, showing anger 0:05:35.200 --> 0:05:37.480 is like a way to guilt trip your friends into 0:05:37.520 --> 0:05:40.279 treating you with a little more thoughtfulness or consideration or 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:43.479 something exactly, and to be used as the example of 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:46.960 each person having a mental cooperation control doll. So the 0:05:46.960 --> 0:05:49.560 anger you express is both an implicit threat to turn 0:05:49.600 --> 0:05:52.040 down your own dial and and not so friendly push 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:55.040 for them to turn theirs up and treat you better. Okay, So, 0:05:55.160 --> 0:05:58.240 so my kids aren't exactly physically threatening me. There's there's 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:02.960 just emotionally manipulating me. I feel so much better about this, Magno. Right, 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:05.320 So we we've talked about what happens on the surface 0:06:05.360 --> 0:06:07.320 when we feel angry. So now let's look at what's 0:06:07.360 --> 0:06:11.719 actually going on inside our bodies. And it's really comes 0:06:11.760 --> 0:06:13.800 down to the amygdala, which is the part of the 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:16.800 brain that deals with the emotional responses to, you know, 0:06:16.839 --> 0:06:21.200 to outside stimuli. Now, the amygdala processes whatever anger triggering 0:06:21.240 --> 0:06:24.520 a venture experiencing, and then responds and as little as 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:26.920 a quarter of a second. And so what it does 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:29.880 is orders the release of special neurotransmitters that you know, 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:32.680 kind of ready you to take physical action. So now 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:35.600 you've got all kinds of chemicals surging through your body. 0:06:35.839 --> 0:06:39.520 You've got adrenaline and noor adrenaline and epinephrin nor epinephrin, 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:42.600 and and these quickly drive up your blood pressure and 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:45.880 your heart rate. And so this is why people turn 0:06:45.960 --> 0:06:47.960 red into face when they're upset, right, Like all that 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:50.960 blood is rushing to their extremities. Yeah, that's right. And 0:06:51.000 --> 0:06:53.599 you know, thankfully that increased blood flow also heads to 0:06:53.640 --> 0:06:56.320 the prefrontal cortex, and and that's the part of the 0:06:56.360 --> 0:07:00.280 brain that's most associated with reason and judgment. Now, I deally, 0:07:00.360 --> 0:07:02.880 the responses in the amygdala and the frontal lobe, they 0:07:02.960 --> 0:07:05.599 kind of balanced each other out, and then we're able 0:07:05.600 --> 0:07:08.440 to regain our composure instead of just you know, punching 0:07:08.440 --> 0:07:10.680 somebody in the face or breaking a window or whatever 0:07:10.720 --> 0:07:13.880 that extreme response might be. So thank God for the 0:07:13.880 --> 0:07:16.680 frontal lobe is basically what you're saying, pretty much. And 0:07:16.760 --> 0:07:19.000 you know, in fact, one quick example that shows just 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:21.440 how much we owe to our frontal lobes is is 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:24.400 that famous story of Phineas Gauge. So he was the 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:27.520 railroad worker in the eighteen forties and he suffered this 0:07:27.680 --> 0:07:30.760 terrible accident where an iron rod shot through his cheek 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:34.000 and and out the top of his head. Now, amazingly, 0:07:34.120 --> 0:07:37.760 Gauge survived the incident, but you know, his prefrontal cortex 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:40.760 wasn't nearly as lucky, and so from then on he 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:45.320 developed this reputation for being quote fitful, irreverent, and obstinate, 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:49.240 and for having quote the animal passions of a strong man. So, 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:52.160 in other words, without a functioning frontal lobe to inhibit 0:07:52.200 --> 0:07:55.840 his anger, Gauge was no longer capable of self control. 0:07:56.320 --> 0:07:58.200 And this was such a departure from who he had 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:00.880 been before the accident, and his friends actually considered him 0:08:00.880 --> 0:08:04.400 a completely different person. They even started referring to him 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:08.360 as no longer gauge. So you and I have discussed 0:08:08.400 --> 0:08:10.480 gauged so many times over the years, and it's weird 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:13.960 how it's still creepy to me. Okay, so we've covered 0:08:14.040 --> 0:08:16.760 the surface expression of anger and what's going on behind 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:19.680 the scenes, But what about the external factors that make 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:21.720 us angry in the first place, Like, is there any 0:08:21.760 --> 0:08:25.200 consensus on what sets people off? Well? There is, actually, 0:08:25.240 --> 0:08:27.119 I mean, it turns out the triggers for our anger 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:30.440 are pretty much as universal as our expressions of that anger, 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:33.000 which is a shame because I like to think of 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:36.280 myself as special and totally individual and unique, but instead 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:39.560 my anger is just so basic. But uh, well, what 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:42.840 are these universal triggers? Don't worry, mengo, You're still pretty unique. 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:45.520 It's just that that's your anger. Triggers are not unique. 0:08:45.559 --> 0:08:48.080 But but you know, any of these incidents that you 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:51.160 can think of that make people angry, including the ones 0:08:51.200 --> 0:08:53.880 we've mentioned, like being cut off in traffic or you know, 0:08:53.920 --> 0:08:56.199 feeling slighted by a friend or whatever it may be, 0:08:56.360 --> 0:08:59.720 these can all be sorted into these broader types. So 0:08:59.760 --> 0:09:02.400 there's neuroscientists at the University of Maryland. His name is R. 0:09:02.480 --> 0:09:05.760 Douglas Fields, and he's identified the triggers and narrowed them 0:09:05.760 --> 0:09:10.120 into nine categories that cover all these potential situations. And 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:12.160 I can feel your little skeptical on this, So I'm 0:09:12.200 --> 0:09:15.400 just gonna throw a mnemonic device at you, Mango. I know, 0:09:15.520 --> 0:09:18.240 we love nemonics, and that's how you keep track of these. 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:21.400 And the mnemonic is life morts. Have you ever heard 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:24.480 of life? Yeah, So here's what it stands for. So 0:09:24.559 --> 0:09:27.760 each letter is something different. So the L is life 0:09:27.800 --> 0:09:31.160 and that's basically like defending yourself against attackers that we've 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:34.400 got insult, which makes sense. You've got family or you know, 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:39.640 protecting loved ones, environment, protecting your territory. You've got mate order, 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:43.199 which you know is kind of responding to social injustice, 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:48.040 resources tribe and stopped as the last one, or that's 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:51.400 like escaping restraint or imprisonment. So so life morts is 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:55.360 as simple as that, Mango. So I mean, that does 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:57.240 cover all the bases. But I've got to admit, like 0:09:57.720 --> 0:10:01.760 the acronym lifeboard just makes me ang Like why make 0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:04.400 an acronym that's hard to remember? Like it would be 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:06.960 so much better if it's like Tom's rifle right, which 0:10:07.000 --> 0:10:09.360 actually makes sense, or of like fimber Lows, like when 0:10:09.440 --> 0:10:13.720 you get angry after fimber Lows, but I like Tom's rifle. 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:16.439 Did you come up without yourself? Well, I looked it 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:19.760 up in an acronym finder. That's that's that's pretty good. 0:10:20.600 --> 0:10:23.800 But back to life more, it's it's easy to imagine 0:10:23.840 --> 0:10:27.120 how anger could be completely justified in in like every 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:30.040 one of these situations, like the urge to protect your 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:34.320 family or push back against social injustice. Like, there's not 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:38.040 just relatable feelings, they're also respectable ones, at least in 0:10:38.080 --> 0:10:40.640 most cases. Yeah, definitely. I mean, we tend to think 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:44.040 of anger as a primarily negative emotion or a destructive 0:10:44.040 --> 0:10:47.000 influence that needs to be curbed or controlled, but it 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:50.280 is worth remembering that there can be specific situations where 0:10:50.480 --> 0:10:53.920 it's actually beneficial to react with anger. For example, social 0:10:53.920 --> 0:10:56.880 psychologist site anger is one of the most powerful motivating 0:10:56.920 --> 0:10:59.440 forces we have. So just think about a time where 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:01.760 you were angry when things weren't going your way or 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:04.240 you felt like everybody was out to get you. You know, 0:11:04.280 --> 0:11:07.040 sometimes that desire to turn things around or prove the 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:10.560 world wrong actually can really motivate you, which is a 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:13.480 good point. And it's funny, like anger motivates me when 0:11:13.480 --> 0:11:16.000 I'm playing sports. If someone fouls me or tells me 0:11:16.040 --> 0:11:19.079 I can't do something, I just concentrate so much harder 0:11:19.120 --> 0:11:20.680 and feel like I have a point to prove. But 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:22.720 it throws me off my game when I'm trying to 0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:25.679 do something creative, Like I almost can't think when I'm angry. 0:11:25.800 --> 0:11:28.120 But I've read that for some people, anger can actually 0:11:28.120 --> 0:11:30.800 give you a temporary boost and creativity, Like you know 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:34.240 that burst of energy you describe when people experience anger. Well, 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:37.440 one side effect of that is a more flexible, freewheeling 0:11:37.480 --> 0:11:40.199 thought process, and studies have actually shown that people who 0:11:40.240 --> 0:11:43.120 feel angry tend to take a less systematic approach to 0:11:43.160 --> 0:11:46.120 problem solving and are actually able to see a big 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:48.880 picture of you more easily. It is a little bit surprising, 0:11:48.920 --> 0:11:50.800 and I think it comes down to being able to 0:11:50.840 --> 0:11:53.800 recognize when it's appropriate to feel angry and and when 0:11:53.800 --> 0:11:56.360 maybe it's in your best interest to calm down. And 0:11:56.400 --> 0:11:59.199 that's really the whole point behind life marts. I just 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:02.040 wanted to say life sports again, but I mean, you know, 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:04.720 the hope is that by learning to identify these triggers. 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:07.400 We we then kind of gain a better understanding of 0:12:07.400 --> 0:12:09.599 of where our anger is coming from, and you know 0:12:09.640 --> 0:12:12.680 whether it's something that should be channeled or suppressed. And 0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:14.960 and that's actually not a new idea. I actually came 0:12:15.000 --> 0:12:17.560 across this Aristotle quote while we were doing our research, 0:12:17.600 --> 0:12:20.160 and it sums up this idea of using anger in 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:23.600 a beneficial way. So here's what he says. Anybody can 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:26.360 become angry. That is easy. But to be angry with 0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:28.560 the right person, and to the right degree, and at 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:30.679 the right time, and for the right purpose and in 0:12:30.720 --> 0:12:34.040 the right way, that is not within everybody's power. That 0:12:34.200 --> 0:12:37.880 is not easy. Well, I mean that sounds like good advice. 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:39.720 And I know there's more to say about how to 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:41.840 turn your anger to your advantage, as well as how 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:43.840 to shut it down when it's not doing you any favors. 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:45.840 But before we get into that, I thought would be 0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:47.760 fun to take a little break from anger and lending 0:12:47.800 --> 0:12:49.640 the mood a little. I don't know, Mango, you might 0:12:49.640 --> 0:12:51.440 be proving Tristan right. I think we're going off on 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:55.520 these tangents. He might start painting his face against. But 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:57.920 I promised we'd go in the opposite direction. Of anger, 0:12:58.040 --> 0:13:00.480 just for a few minutes to talk about the science tickling. 0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:16.400 But first a quick break. You're listening to Part Time 0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:18.839 Genius and we're talking about the science of anger, or 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:20.840 at least we were talking about the science of anger. 0:13:20.880 --> 0:13:23.199 Now apparently we're talking about tickling. So so what's the 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:26.000 story here, Mega, Well, this week I was asking myself 0:13:26.040 --> 0:13:28.440 all these questions ahead of today's show, like how does 0:13:28.480 --> 0:13:31.320 the body respond to anger? What causes us to get angry? 0:13:31.360 --> 0:13:33.719 And for whatever reason, it just reminds me of a 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:36.040 topic we tackled a few years back at Mental Flass, 0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:38.199 which was this question of why do we laugh when 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:40.560 we're tickled? And the more I thought about it, the 0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:42.880 more I realized the two reactions are really two sides 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:45.040 of the same coin. All right, well that's interesting, so 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:47.560 refresh my memory, Like why do we laugh when we 0:13:47.600 --> 0:13:49.320 get tickled? I mean, it has something to do with 0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:52.280 our nerve endings in our skin, right, that's right. So 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:55.280 when the nerve endings in our epidermists are lightly stimulated 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:58.160 by touch, they send a signal to the brain's nervous system. 0:13:58.240 --> 0:14:00.800 And there are actually two different of the brain that 0:14:00.840 --> 0:14:05.000 processed the signal. The first is the somatosensory cortex, which 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:08.040 analyzes all the physical qualities of the touch, such as 0:14:08.080 --> 0:14:10.680 the amount of pressure it exerts. And the second reason 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:14.199 is the anterior singulated cortex, and this is the region 0:14:14.240 --> 0:14:16.840 in charge of pleasurable feelings. All right, So the tickling 0:14:16.840 --> 0:14:19.840 sensation we feel as a result of the combined analysis 0:14:19.880 --> 0:14:22.720 from those two regions of the brain. And and I 0:14:22.720 --> 0:14:26.080 see the connection between the outside stimulus and the brain's response. 0:14:26.160 --> 0:14:29.600 But besides that, like, what's the connection between anger and 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:32.360 tickling here? Well, there's a study out of Germany where 0:14:32.360 --> 0:14:34.960 they used mri I scanners to see which parts of 0:14:34.960 --> 0:14:37.960 the brain light up when someone laughs, and while laughing 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:39.800 at a joke activated many of the same areas of 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:42.840 the brain is laughing while being tickled. The tickling laughter 0:14:43.080 --> 0:14:46.040 also activated the hypothalamus, and that's the part of the 0:14:46.080 --> 0:14:48.160 brain that controls our fight or flight response when we 0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:51.240 feel threatened, and well, anger pushes that response in the 0:14:51.280 --> 0:14:54.600 direction of conflict. Tickling actually does the opposite, all right. 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:57.880 So you're saying, like, we laugh when we're tickled because 0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:00.920 because what like because we're giving up or something. Yeah, 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:03.640 So that's actually one theory that laughter is meant to 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:06.520 signal submission to whoever is doing the tickling, and I 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:08.640 guess it's in the hopes that they'll show mercy and 0:15:08.760 --> 0:15:11.960 break off. I. I I mean, when when I'm tickling my kids, 0:15:12.000 --> 0:15:14.440 that's the last thing I want to do. Stop tickling them. So, 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:17.120 but why would our bodies treat tickling as a threat 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.680 in the first place, Well, it helps to know that 0:15:19.720 --> 0:15:22.360 there are actually two different kinds of tickles. So one 0:15:22.440 --> 0:15:24.920 is the kind that results in laughter whenever sensitive areas 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:28.120 like our armpits or bellies are tickled, and the other 0:15:28.280 --> 0:15:31.520 is brought by extremely light touches and tends to produce 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:34.640 an itching sensation rather than laughter. So the second kind 0:15:34.680 --> 0:15:36.320 is the one that you feel when a cat's tail 0:15:36.360 --> 0:15:38.880 brushes your skin or I guess want to bug crawls 0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:41.920 across your arm. And that's led some scientists to conclude 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:44.240 that this kind of tickling is an early warning system 0:15:44.280 --> 0:15:48.000 to help us defend against potentially dangerous pests like spiders 0:15:48.080 --> 0:15:50.400 or mosquitoes. So it could be something similar with the 0:15:50.440 --> 0:15:53.440 other kind of tickling. When when someone unexpectedly touches you 0:15:53.520 --> 0:15:55.880 in in a vulnerable part of your body, the tickling 0:15:55.960 --> 0:15:58.920 kicks in and we can just react as fast as possible, 0:15:59.000 --> 0:16:00.920 which makes a lot of sense. Like you tense up 0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:03.120 so much when this kind of thing happens, and you know, 0:16:03.200 --> 0:16:06.000 instinctively try to shield like whichever part of you is 0:16:06.040 --> 0:16:09.040 being tickled in that moment exactly. And this is also 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:11.720 why it's pretty much impossible to tickle yourself. So no 0:16:11.760 --> 0:16:14.080 matter how discreet you try to be, your own touch 0:16:14.200 --> 0:16:17.040 is never truly unexpected in the way someone else's can be. 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:20.600 And that's because the cerebellum can predict sensations that arise 0:16:20.640 --> 0:16:23.920 from your own movements, but not from other people's. So basically, 0:16:23.920 --> 0:16:27.320 when the cerebellum knows what's about to happen, that prediction 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:30.080 overrides the response in your brain that would otherwise lead 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:32.320 to the tickle. All right, well that's fair enough, but 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:35.440 but I notice you said pretty much impossible to tickle yourself. 0:16:35.440 --> 0:16:38.600 So there are there exceptions to this. Yeah, I was 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:40.440 surprised to learn this, but there are a couple of 0:16:40.480 --> 0:16:43.680 cases where self tickling is possible, but neither is very 0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:45.760 easy to test for yourself. So the first is if 0:16:45.760 --> 0:16:48.560 you're schizophrenic. For whatever reason. The minds of people with 0:16:48.600 --> 0:16:51.880 schizophrenia aren't really great at predicting the sensory outcomes of 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:55.600 their own movements, and the second case is admittedly kind 0:16:55.640 --> 0:16:59.200 of cheating. But according to this neuro scientist, David Eagleman, 0:16:59.520 --> 0:17:01.720 he claims, if you build a machine that allows you 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:04.040 to move a feather, but the feather moves only after 0:17:04.080 --> 0:17:06.520 a delay, like of a second, then you can actually 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:08.880 tickle yourself because the results of your own actions now 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:12.080 surprise you. I don't know, Mago, I can't say for sure, 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:14.040 but I'm probably not going to go to the effort 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:16.880 of building a feather tickling machine. But but we'll see. 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:18.800 But I mean, it does make me curious. So, like, 0:17:18.880 --> 0:17:21.280 if you can see that someone else is about to 0:17:21.320 --> 0:17:24.160 tickle you, like you're you're watching their hand, Like, why 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:27.280 does it still tickle when they touch you? So my 0:17:27.440 --> 0:17:29.879 guess would be that it's because your brain can't predict 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:32.639 exactly where they're going to touch you or with what 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:35.800 force or rhythm. But there is a way to suppress 0:17:35.840 --> 0:17:38.400 the ticklers feeling you get from someone else, and it's 0:17:38.480 --> 0:17:40.679 only really by taking advantage of the same system that 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:43.720 prevents you from tickling yourself. So all right, what do 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:46.800 you mean by that? So you know you can't tickle 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:49.000 yourself because your brain knows what you're about to do. 0:17:49.240 --> 0:17:51.320 But if you place your hand on top of the 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:53.639 hand of some person trying to tickle you, then you 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:56.320 can basically trick your brain into thinking it knows where 0:17:56.320 --> 0:17:59.520 the touch is coming from, which cancels out the tickling sensation. 0:17:59.600 --> 0:18:01.840 Isn't that Yeah, this whole thing just makes me feel 0:18:01.880 --> 0:18:04.760 so weird, Like like, I don't like somebody tickling me. 0:18:04.800 --> 0:18:06.720 I don't like the idea of somebody tickling me. I 0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:08.680 don't like the idea of putting my hand on top 0:18:08.680 --> 0:18:11.040 of somebody else's hand. Is tickling a bit, but I 0:18:11.080 --> 0:18:13.640 feel like something doesn't add up, Like if the feeling 0:18:13.640 --> 0:18:17.119 of being tickled is a reflex, like this biological reaction 0:18:17.280 --> 0:18:20.439 to this stimulus, then we should be able to tickle 0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:23.080 ourselves like and the hand holding trick you mentioned shouldn't 0:18:23.119 --> 0:18:26.640 be able to stifle that reflex. Well, that's another thing 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:29.800 tickling has in common with anger. Well, there's a biological 0:18:29.840 --> 0:18:33.320 component to both. They're also largely dependent on social cues 0:18:33.359 --> 0:18:36.160 and context. So, for example, if you remember that thing 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:38.520 we were talking about earlier about getting angry at a 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:40.960 friend who bailed on plans and went to see a 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:44.359 movie instead. Well, just imagine if you cancel the plans 0:18:44.400 --> 0:18:46.960 because his wife went into labor. The and result is 0:18:46.960 --> 0:18:48.680 still the same for you, right, Like you don't get 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:51.480 to hang out with your friend, but your emotional response 0:18:51.520 --> 0:18:54.280 to each of those scenarios would likely be totally different, 0:18:54.680 --> 0:18:57.960 and because of that context, your natural inclination towards anger 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:00.400 is actually subdued. All right, So you're saying the same 0:19:00.440 --> 0:19:04.080 thing happens when with tickling. Yeah, it's it's true. So 0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:08.159 think about Chinese tickle torture, or better yet, Roman tickle torture. 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:10.800 So ancient Romans would do this thing where they tie 0:19:10.840 --> 0:19:13.600 down a criminal, soak their feet in salt solution, and 0:19:13.600 --> 0:19:15.840 then bring in a herd of goats to lick it off, 0:19:16.440 --> 0:19:19.080 and they just repeat this process over and over. But 0:19:19.480 --> 0:19:22.240 the people being tickled weren't laughing. They were screaming or 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:24.880 crying because it was torturous to be in that position. 0:19:25.240 --> 0:19:27.600 Yeah that sounds awful and like the worst form of 0:19:27.640 --> 0:19:30.640 torture possible. But I'm curious, like, is there any social 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:35.240 benefit to tickling or is it all just this psychological torture. Well, 0:19:35.320 --> 0:19:37.800 there is an upside thankfully. And on the positive end 0:19:37.800 --> 0:19:40.600 of the spectrum, tickling can be a bonding exercise. It's 0:19:40.640 --> 0:19:43.480 one of the earliest forms of communication between mothers and babies. 0:19:43.520 --> 0:19:46.240 Like you see a mother tickle, which makes the baby laugh, 0:19:46.280 --> 0:19:48.480