The outside of the left brainstem allows us to understand the joke. If we get the punch line, the limbic system becomes active, i. The amygdala then signals us that we are amused. Depending on the extent of the amusement, our brain's control station for emotional outbursts forwards the signal to our vocal cords, diaphragm, and facial muscles — and we laugh!
Laughter triggers further processes in our body: on the one hand, it significantly lowers the level of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, and on the other hand, when we laugh, happiness hormones such as endorphins and dopamine are released.
With humor, we can handle stress better and feel generally happier. Numerous studies have confirmed the positive effect of humor on our health and well-being. For example, a study published by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in shows that humor can prolong life. Scientist Sven Svebak examined , Norwegians over several years and found that the more humorous participants in the study were less likely to get sick and that they had, on average, a 20 percent longer lifespan.
In , the Robert Bosch Hospital in Stuttgart carried out a study with cardiac patients. For seven weeks, the patients practiced reacting to stressful situations with humor rather than negative emotions such as aggression. During this time, they completed a stress questionnaire daily, and their cortisol levels were measured. The results show that humor training significantly reduced the patients' levels of stress. The result of a three-part study on the influence of humor on stressful life events with psychological consequences was published in the Psychological and Social Psychology Bulletin in The first part examined fibromyalgia patients who suffer from chronic pain, sleep disorders, and psychological side effects.
All subjects were able to demonstrate that humor helped them to better deal with the particular situation and to re-evaluate it. The study participants also reported that they felt better supported by their fellow human beings. To put it in a nutshell: humor lowers the stress level, helps us to look at stressful situations from a different perspective, and strengthens social interaction. It is good for our immune system, our memory, and makes us happy.
Today, medicine also takes advantage of these positive effects: Clown doctors make small hospital patients laugh, and depressed patients can find their laughter again with humor training — for example, in psychotherapy with German Prof. Barbara Wild. Despite all the positive aspects, it is essential to exercise caution and to use humor at the right moment — or, if necessary, to do without it. If someone gets a bad diagnosis, a joke is out of place at first.
Schizophrenia, in turn, can rob the ability to understand jokes at all. Sensitivity in dealing with humor is, therefore, essential! Not every form of humor has a positive effect on our well-being. Research distinguishes between four types: connecting, self-strengthening, aggressive, and self-defeating humor. The first two types aim to amuse and reinforce one's surroundings and oneself — the latter two serve to belittle and make fun of oneself or others.
While these are hurtful and negative, the first two types of humor can inspire us and help us deal with everyday life and crises better. The good news for people, who sometimes feel like they might have forgotten how to laugh: humor can be practiced. Especially as humor comes in many ways. It does not always have to be roaring laughter, a little smile is sometimes enough to brighten up a dark day. The writer Mark Twain once said: "Humor is tragedy plus time.
For example, you might ask yourself: What is happening to me right now — will I be able to laugh about it in three months?
Another possibility is to imagine that a mishap does not happen to us, but another person. Of course, this only applies to minor mishaps, but if someone stumbles or slips on a banana peel, we laugh according to the Superiority Theory out of sheer malicious joy. Think about what you used to laugh about — and with whom! Also, think about what you do not find funny. You probably remember jokes, films, or situations that made you laugh.
You can then integrate them back into your everyday life: Maybe you have a favorite comedy that you haven't seen in a long time, or you could read a few chapters from a particularly funny novel. It is a sign that elevates our social status and allows us to attract reproductive partners. In other words, a joke is to the sense of humor what a cannoli loaded with fat and sugar is to the sense of taste. And because grasping the incongruities requires a store of knowledge and beliefs, shared laughter signals a commonality of worldviews, preferences and convictions, which reinforces social ties and the sense of belonging to the same group.
As Hurly told psychologist Jarrett in , the theory goes beyond predicting what makes people laugh. And yet, as Greengross noted in a review of Inside Jokes, even this theory is incomplete. Other questions remain. For instance, how can the sometimes opposite functions of humor, such as promoting social bonding and excluding others with derision, be reconciled?
And when laughter enhances feelings of social connectedness, is that effect a fundamental function of the laughter or a mere by-product of some other primary role much as eating with people has undeniable social value even though eating is primarily motivated by the need for nourishment? There is much evidence for a fundamental function. Robert Provine of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, showed in Current Directions in Psychological Science, for example, that individuals laugh 30 times more in the company of others than they do alone.
In his research, he and his students surreptitiously observed spontaneous laughter as people went about their business in settings ranging from the student union to shopping malls. Moreover, humor does not always make us laugh. In one view, knowing how to be funny is a sign of a healthy brain and of good genes, and consequently it attracts partners.
Researchers have found that men are more likely to be funny and women are more likely to appreciate a good sense of humor, which is to say that men compete for attention and women do the choosing. But views, of course, differ on this point. Even the validity of seeking a unified theory of humor is debated. In fact, I always refer to it by describing it, never by defining it. Still, certain commonalities are now accepted by almost all scholars who study humor.
One, Forabosco notes, is a cognitive element: perception of incongruity. To my mind, for example, the incongruity needs to be relieved without being totally resolved; it must remain ambiguous, something strange that is never fully explained. Other cognitive and psychological elements can also provide some punch.
These, Forabosco says, include features such as aggression, sexuality, sadism and cynicism. Laughing, Tickling, and the Evolution of Speech and Self.
Robert R. Peter McGraw et al. Christian Jarrett in The Psychologist, Vol. Giovanni Sabato trained as a biologist and is now a freelance science writer based in Rome. Beyond psychology, biology and medicine, he is interested in the links between science and human rights.
Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Go Paperless with Digital. Researchers do not fully understand which aspects of a joke or situation make it seem funny. We often rely on pretesting — that is, trying out jokes and other potential stimuli on different samples of people — to give us a sense of whether they might work in our studies. To make predictions on how our funny materials will be perceived by study subjects, we also turn to a growing body of humor theories that speculate on why and when certain situations are considered funny.
From ancient Greece to today, many thinkers from around the world have yearned to understand what makes us laugh. The woman makes a sudden movement, causing the moose to charge the couple. The man stands his ground, causing the moose to stop in his tracks. After a few feints with a large stick and several caveman-ish grunts by the man, the defeated moose retreats while the man proclaims his victory with more grunting. The clip has been viewed on YouTube almost three million times, and the comments make it clear that many folks who watch it are LOLing.
But why is this funny? It is the oldest of all humor theories: Philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato alluded to the idea behind the superiority theory thousands of years ago.
It suggests that all humor is derived from the misfortunes of others — and therefore, our own relative superiority. Taking this theory into consideration, it seems like the retreating moose is the butt of the joke in this scenario. Charles Gruner , the late expert on superiority theory, suggest that all humor is derived from competition. In this case, the moose lost that competition. Freud used this idea to explain our fascination with taboo topics and why we might find it humorous to acknowledge them.
For example, my own line of research deals with humor in interracial interactions and how it can be used to facilitate these commonly tense situations. Many comedians have tackled this topic as well, focusing on how language is used in interracial settings and using it as an example of how relief can be funny.
Interestingly, this theory has served as the rationale behind many studies documenting the psychological and physiological benefits of laughter. In both cases, the relief of tension physiological tension, in the case of laughing can lead to positive health outcomes overall, including decreased stress, anxiety and even physical pain.
In the case of our moose video: Once the moose charges, the tension builds as the man and the animal face off for an extended period of time.
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