Do People Increase Distance from the Opposite Sex after Tickling?

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to test the possibility that titillation activates the higher target concept of shyness by measuring actual behavior. Participants were randomly divided into two conditions: (1) tickling aroused condition, and (2) control condition with no procedure of tickling. After the ticking procedure, the experimental condition was instructed to set a chair in order to chat with a female during their first meeting. The control condition received no tickling procedure, but received the same instructions with regard to setting a chair. Results demonstrated that participants who were tickled kept more distance from a female than the participants who were not tickled. This study's results are consistent with previous studies that have demonstrated the concepts activation in a metaphor-consistent manner.