There’s nothing like a good chuckle to lift your spirits. But not every
LOL is created equal. There are two main kinds of laughter: impulsive,
natural laughs triggered by something you find truly amusing; and
voluntary, posed laughs brought on in social situations, like when your
boss makes a not-all-that-funny joke, or you want to fit in with a group
of chortling peers. Research shows these different types of laughs
spark activity in separate parts of the listener’s brain, so be warned:
you might think you’re an expert schmoozer, but your boss will
instinctively attempt to decipher the purpose behind your laughter.
A hearty laugh gets the whole body involved, starting with a network
of muscles in the face. When something funny hits our eyes or ears,
the brain tells these 15 pulleys to crinkle the eyes and contort the
cheeks, resulting in a gleeful grin – meanwhile, the brain stem is
informed that hilarity is ensuing, and the lungs will need to manage
the dual tasks of laughing and breathing. A splutter of air and
noises bursts forth, in the form of ‘ha’s, ‘ho’s and the occasional
‘heh’. The heart pumps faster to replace expelled oxygen; the
stomach muscles tighten; and the rest of our muscles relax,
allowing the laughter to hijack the body’s energy.
All this happens in approximately 75 milliseconds – moments
later, our endocrine system kicks into gear. Cracking up sends the
stress hormone, cortisol, packing, while a stream of happy-making
endorphins floods the brain. Basically, laughter is your body’s
side-splitting, snort-inducing way of relieving anxiety and tension,
which is why it’s been trialled as a form of physical and emotionaltherapy. In offices, hospitals and even your local park, ‘laughter
coaches’ do their darndest to get people chuckling. The outcome?
Supposedly, a stronger immune system; the ability to make more
rational decisions in stressful situations; and an overall sense that
pain or mental anguish is more manageable.
Scientist Robert Provine has been studying our sniggers for years.
What he’s discovered is that babies laugh approximately 300 times a
day, while adults only let out about 20 titters. Alas, laughter peaks at
the age of five, so savour any gag that has you rolling in the aisles. It’s
not just humans that get the giggles, either. Apes and rats have been
found to emit laughter-like sounds, in the form of pants, chirps and
high-pitched squeaks. (These are particularly brought on by a good old
tickle.) From an evolutionary standpoint, animal LOLs are thought to
be a sign that a threat isn’t as dangerous as it seems – or it could just
be about teaching baby critters how to play and bond with their peers.
Laughter has a highly contagious effect – look no further than a
’90s sitcom like Friends for proof. These TV comedies employed
a laugh track – ‘canned’ audience laughter that marks the show’s
punchlines – to subconsciously inspire a chuckle in the viewer.
Think about it: you’re far more likely to crack up over an onscreen
gag when you’re in the company of a chum who’s also in stitches.
In fact, Dr Provine found we don’t even need to witness the joke to
start laughing – just the sound of your pal’s glee is enough for your
own brain to mirror the emotional reaction.An extreme case of contagious laughter transpired in Tanzania in- Three girls studying at a village boarding school began to laugh.
Then, they experienced ‘emotional incontinence’, aka laughter tears.
The symptoms spread quickly from classmate to classmate, until
95 of the 159 students were uncontrollably chortling. The laughter
epidemic was so powerful that the school closed down for a time,
and even on reopening, the giggling continued. Two-and-a-half
years later, the outbreak finally came to an end, prompting deep
investigation into why it occurred. Sadly, we can’t blame a prank
gone viral – it’s believed the laughter was a case of mass hysteria,
brought on by stress. Which is no laughing matter.
the science of laughter
SOPHIE KALAGAS INVESTIGATES
WHAT GIGGLING MEANS, BIOLOGICALLY
SPEAKING.
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