Why do we laugh?
By Nicola Currie
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side and go about its fowl business (ba dum tchh). Why is it we transform this seemingly mundane event into an anthropomorphic moment of mirth (or not, as the case so often seems to be)? Because we like to laugh.But why?
From a social perspective laughter is just one way in which we interact with others. It reflects enjoyment and the positive experiences or emotions we gain from these interactions. It also acts as a way of telling others that we like the things being said or done, along with the person saying or doing them. Even if we don’t. In this sense, laughter is a way of ingratiating ourselves with our peers i.e. sucking up.
Laughter can also provide individual emotional release. Not only does it help us to cope with frightening or dangerous situations, a concept known as ‘gallows humour’, it also releases anxiety and stress, helping us sleep better as a result.
But it's more than just a social and emotional tool. Gelotologists (or laughter scientists to you and me) claim that laughter is one of the activities, along with exercise or eating food like chocolate, that causes the brain to release endorphins, the body’s ‘happy’ hormones.
The physical benefits resulting from laughter also affect other parts of the body. Cortisol, a chemical that is released in moments of stress, is reduced when people laugh, decreasing the intensity of stressful situations. So that explains the nervous titter on the first date or when reclining in the dentist’s chair.
However, the same mechanism has some rather more important effects, including lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, and preventing the hardening of arteries, thereby decreasing the risk of heart attack. Even the very act of guffawing can help strengthen abdominal muscles and increase our physical fitness overall.
It is because of the various medical benefits of laughter that several types of laughter therapy have been developed, such as clown therapy, where visiting clowns perform for hospital residents, as in the Robin Williams film “Patch Adams” (1998).
Ultimately then, laughter provides a plethora of social, emotional and physical advantages that should only make us want to laugh more and more. The evidence is compelling: laughter really is the best medicine.
Some laughter therapy...
- Spoof - Biggest ever fossils found
- News - Man conducts with turkey basters
More on laughter:
- News - The best medicine
- Strange - Girls laugh at the oddest things
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