The Magic of Smiles and LaughterWhy We Laugh and Talk, But Chimps Don't
Robert Provine, professor of psychology at the University of
Maryland, Baltimore, found that human laughter is different
from that of our primate cousins. Chimpanzee laughter
sounds like panting, with only one sound made per outward or
inward breath. It's this one-to-one ratio between breath cycle
and vocalisation that makes it impossible for most primates to
speak. When humans began walking upright, it freed the
upper body from weight-bearing functions and allowed better
breath control. As a result, humans can chop an exhalation
and modulate it to produce language and laughter. Chimps
can have linguistic concepts, but they can't physically make the
sounds of language. Because we walk upright, humans have a
huge range of freedom in the sounds we make, including
speech and laughter.
How Humour Heals
Laughter stimulates the body's natural painkillers and 'feel
good' enhancers, known as endorphins, helping relieve stress
and heal the body. When Norman Cousins was diagnosed with
the debilitating illness ankylospondylitis, the doctors told him
they could no longer help him and that he would live in excru-
ciating pain before he died. Cousins checked into a hotel room
and hired every funny movie he could find: the Marx Brothers,
Airplane and The Three Stooges, etc. He watched and re-
watched them over and over, laughing as hard and loud as he
could. After six months of this self-inflicted laughter therapy,
the doctors were amazed to find that his illness had been com-
etely cured - the disease was gone! This amazing outcome
led to the publishing of Cousins' book, Anatomy of an Illness,
and the start of massive research into the function of endor-
phins. Endorphins are chemicals released from the brain when
you laugh. They have a similar chemical composition to mor-
phine and heroin and have a tranquillising effect on the body,