Now, everyone has heard a polite giggle and can easily tell the difference between that and a gut-wrenching, almost pee your pants type of laugh. This is because our brains actually perceive these laughs very differently. Posed (polite) laughs are processed in regions of our brain that make us try to figure out why that person is laughing, while involuntary (gut-wrenching, almost pee your pants) laughs are processed heavily in the auditory cortex because the sounds heard during this type of laughter are so unambiguous. This happens even when we do not know the context behind the laughter.
We may sometimes think that polite laughter sounds fake or forced but it is not. We have evolved these different types of laughter for social interactions. Once again, we are not the only mammals that have different types of laughter. Chimpanzees actually have different laughs when they are being tickled versus when they are playing. Regardless of what type of laughter is taking place, laughter helps us to regulate our emotions. It has been shown that couples who handle stressful situations with laughter will rate their marriage as more satisfying and will stay together longer. So at the end of the day... don't forget to laugh!
https://www.ted.com/talks/sophie_scott_why_we_laugh#t-574153
Thanks Ali for the awesome post. I am a big fan of TED Talks and this was one of the most entertaining talks. I was definitely laughing to the other people's laugh. Laughter is by far contagious. Also, it was interesting to see the difference between posed laughter and primitive laughter; posed developing with age. Regardless, laughter is a form of social connect and I can see why "class clowns" are always trying to get people to laugh or even presenters. Laughter is a form of medicine, but I have also heard crying to be therapeutic as well. It would be interesting to see the mechanism behind both and how they compare to one another.
ReplyDeleteI immediately clicked on your post when I saw the word laughter! I am an easily amused person but I think you're right...age does change your laughing style. As I was doing a quick google search, I came across this article http://www.livescience.com/51817-facebook-laughter-expression-trends.html. Everyone should read this. It's so relevant to this day and age. How do you express laughter through messaging/text? Are you a LOL-er, Haha-er, hehe-er, or emoji-er? This article says that the way you express laughter tells a lot about age, sex, and location. I know I am a haha-er and LOL-er. It's almost a default start for my text messages.
ReplyDeleteI also clicked this because I saw the word laughter! It's interesting to read that posed laughs are not actually "fake." I always feel like I purposely try to laugh sometimes, but when I think about it I guess it does come naturally and now posed laughs are apart of everyday interactions, just like involuntary laughs. I also wonder about why you sometimes cry when you laugh so hard. How does that actually work in the brain? Going off of the texting post, it's so interesting how we use "lol" and "haha" to make texts less awkward or just as a filler. I agree, that majority of the time I use "haha" or "lol" in my texts, even if things aren't funny!
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