gargalesis

From Ancient Greek γαργαλίζω (gargalízō, “tickle”) + -esis.

gargalesis (uncountable)

1. Heavy tickling often leading to laughter.
   • 1897, G. Stanley Hall, Arthur Alliń, “The Psychology of Tickling, Laughing, and the Comic”, in The American Journal of Psychology, 9(1) (Oct., 1897), pp. 1-41:

     Pending a better nomenclature we suggest for the former the term knismesis and for the latter the term gargalesis, with the adjectives knismic and gargalic, hyperknismesis and hyper-gargalesis for excess, etc.

   • 1999 Christine R. Harris, "The Mystery of Ticklish Laughter," American Scientist, 87(4) (July-August 1999), p344

     Gargalesis, the heavy tickle associated with play and laughter and seemingly with pleasure, may be limited to the primates, but not solely to human beings.

   • 2009 August 18-21, Alena Neviarouskaya, Dzmitry Tsetserukou, Helmut Prendinger, Naoki Kawakami, Susumu Tachi & Mitsuru Ishizuka, "Emerging System for Affectively Charged Interpersonal Communication," ICROS-SICE International Joint Conference 2009, p3380

     The second type of tickle called gargalesis is evoked by a heavier touch to particular areas of the body such as armpits or ribs. Such kind of stimuli usually results in laugher and squirming.

• knismesis