If you’re one of those people who can’t help but laugh when your best friend stumbles and falls, you must be wondering why this behavior, which may seem a little inappropriate, is a bit of an issue.
Laughter is one of the most interesting human behaviors that scientists have been trying to make sense of for many years. And today is World Laughter Day.
The purpose of this special day, which has been celebrated on the first Sunday of May every year since 1998, is to remind all of us about the positive effects of laughter on health.
So why do we mortals suddenly burst into laughter, even at the most inopportune moments?
What does science tell us about laughter?
“Is that also SCIENCE?”
In his article for BBC Future, David Robson spoke with Neuroscientist Sophie Scott of University College London, who has been conducting research on the subject for many years. Scott looks at the science of laughter from a different angle, through human relations, identities, and sound.
In his TED talk in 2015, Scott said that laughter leads to misunderstood human behavior. His research, however, was not always endorsed by his colleagues. “This pile of paper looks like trash and will be thrown away if you leave it here. Is that science?” He found a written note.
Ironically, Scott is now on the “Is this science too?” He organizes stand-up shows with his T-shirt.
As Scott tells Robson about his research, he shows a video of an almost naked man falling into a frozen pool. In the video, it is seen that his friends around him are laughing out loud at the man who first tried to stretch and then jump into the pool, but was in a difficult situation because the ice did not break. “As soon as his friends realize that there is no blood or bones spilling out, they involuntarily start laughing out loud,” Scott emphasizes.
So why do we burst into laughter even when the person in front of us is suffering? Why is laughter contagious?
Although she began her career by researching the human voice and what it says about that person’s identity, it was research from Namibia that inspired her to work with, showing that laughter is among the richest vocal tics.
Previous research has shown that different cultures can detect 6 emotions from people’s facial expressions, such as fear, laughter, surprise, disgust, sadness, and happiness.
Scott wondered how our voice hinted in this regard. Namibian Indians and Britons were asked to listen to each other’s audio recordings and evaluate the emotions these voices represented. In addition to the 6 emotions accepted in the international scientific community, relaxation, victory and satisfaction were also included in the research.
The most easily recognized emotion in both groups was laughter. Scott says participants were able to immediately distinguish laughter from other positive emotions.
‘MOST Laughter IS NOT REASONABLE’
The more Scott studied the findings, the more he became fascinated with the complexity of laughter.
For example, he realized that most of the laughter was not about humor:
“People really think they’re laughing at other people’s jokes, but we find that the person who laughs the most in a conversation is also the person talking.”
‘A SOCIAL FEELING’
Stating that he now sees laughter as a “social emotion” that brings us together and connects us, Scott continues:
“When you laugh with someone, you show that you love them, agree with them, or show that you are in the same group.
“Laughter is one indicator of how strong a relationship is.”
Contagious giggles
This may explain why this laughter virus is not usually transmitted to those around them when couples laugh at each other’s humor.
As Scott puts it, when we say, “I really like this person because they have a great sense of humor,” what we really mean is: “I like him, and I show it to him by laughing when he’s around.”
According to Scott’s research, laughter may be one of the main ways to keep relationships good. For example, it is seen that couples who can laugh with each other can get rid of tension more quickly after a stressful moment or fight and their relationship lasts longer.
Previous research has also shown that people who laugh together at funny videos are more open to sharing personal information with each other.
Similarly, the deplorable state of the man who fell into the frozen pool and hurt himself was able to bring his friends together.
Scott explains, “It’s interesting that his friends started laughing right away. I think they just want to make him feel better because he fell.”
Robin Dunbar from Oxford University also revealed in a study he published earlier that laughter is associated with an increase in the pain threshold, and that the hormone endorphin, which is known to strengthen social bonds, may increase the pain threshold.