Laughter is one of the most spontaneous and characteristic human reactions, hence the naturalness with which it is produced. Compared to other facial expressions, it can be produced either because of moods (amusement, surprise at a joke) or because of physical sensations (tickling).
So the human body is predisposed to laugh at certain junctures, and when it tries not to do so it in turn creates funny situations for the viewer.
We have an example of this in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (1988).
Freddy Benson (Steve Martin) pretends to be paralyzed in his legs while Lawrence Jamieson (Michael Caine) intends to test whether indeed his nerve endings no longer transmit sensation.
And what better way to test the nervous system than by tickling it?
Lawrence removes Freddy's shoes and begins tickling him with a finger under his foot, Moving the finger slowly up and down, asking him if he feels anything and observing his reaction.
Freddy, with great coolness, suppresses the urge to laugh and simulates a numb face.
A very funny gag, observing this far from natural reaction!
Tickling in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"
Probably, Lawrence wants to find out whether Freddy is pretending to be paralyzed, so he decides to subject him to a physical reaction to force him to betray himself. By tickling him, he observes whether the man actually feels the tickling stimulus, which he cannot ignore if he really is healthy.
Freddy knows that if he were to smile it would show the pretense, so he restrains himself with great willpower (and comical results!).
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