For
us laughing seems so natural, but the funny thing is that humans are one of the
only species that laughs. Laughter is actually a complex response that involves
many of the same skills used in solving problems.
Human beings love to laugh, and the average
adult laughs 17 times a day. Humans love to laugh so much that there are
actually industries built around laughter. Jokes, sitcoms and comedians are all
designed to get us laughing, because laughing feels good.
Laughter is a great thing - that's why
we've all heard the saying, "Laughter is the best medicine." There is
strong evidence that laughter can actually improve health and help fight
disease.
WHAT IS LAUGHTER?
First of all, laughter is not the same as
humour. Laughter is the physiological response to humour. Laughter consists of
two parts: a set of gestures and the production of a sound. When we laugh, the
brain pressures us to conduct both those activities simultaneously. When we
laugh heartily, changes occur in many parts of the body, even the arm, leg and
trunk muscles.
Under certain conditions, our bodies
perform what the Encyclopedia Britannica describes as "rhythmic,
vocalized, expiratory and involuntary actions", better known as laughter.
Fifteen facial muscles contract and stimulation of the zygomatic major muscle
(the main lifting mechanism of your upper lip) occurs. Meanwhile, the
respiratory system is upset by the epiglottis half-closing the larynx, so that
air intake occurs irregularly, making you gasp. In extreme circumstances, the
tear ducts are activated, so that while the mouth is opening and closing and
the struggle for oxygen intake continues, the face becomes moist and often red
(or purple). The noises that usually accompany this bizarre behaviour range
from sedate giggles to boisterous guffaws.
Behavioural neurobiologist and pioneering
laughter researcher Robert Provine jokes that he has encountered one major
problem in his study of laughter. The problem is that laughter disappears just
when he is ready to observe it, especially in the laboratory. One of his
studies looked at the sonic structure of laughter. He discovered that all human
laughter consists of variations on a basic form that consists of short,
vowel-like notes repeated every 210 milliseconds. Laughter can be of the
"ha-ha-ha" variety or the "ho-ho-ho" type but not a mixture
of both, he says. Provine also suggests that humans have a "detector"
that responds to laughter by triggering other neural circuits in the brain,
which, in turn, generates more laughter. This explains why laughter is
contagious.
Humour researcher Peter Derks describes
laughter response as "a really quick, automatic type of behaviour."
"In fact, how quickly our brain recognizes the incongruity that lies at
the heart of most humour and attaches an abstract meaning to it determines
whether we laugh," he says.
LAUGHTER ON THE
BRAIN
The physiological study of laughter has its
own name: gelotology. And we know that certain parts of the brain are
responsible for certain human functions. For example, emotional responses are
the function of the brain's largest region, the frontal lobe. But researchers
have learned that the production of laughter is involved with various regions
of the brain. While the relationship between laughter and the brain is not
fully understood, researchers are making some progress.
For example, Derks traced the pattern of
brainwave activity in subjects responding to humorous material. Subjects were
hooked up to an electroencephalograph (EEG) and their brain activity was
measured when they laughed. In each case, the brain produced a regular
electrical pattern. Within four-tenths of a second of exposure to something
potentially funny, an electrical wave moved through the cerebral cortex, the
largest part of the brain. If the wave took a negative charge, laughter
resulted. If it maintained a positive charge, no response was given,
researchers said.
During the experiment, researchers observed
the following specific activities:
·
The left side of the cortex
(the layer of cells that covers the entire surface of the forebrain) analyzed
the words and structure of the joke.
·
The brain's large frontal lobe,
which is involved in social emotional responses, became very active.
·
The right hemisphere of the
cortex carried out the intellectual analysis required to "get" the
joke.
·
Brainwave activity then spread
to the sensory processing area of the occipital lobe (the area on the back of
the head that contains the cells that process visual signals).
·
Stimulation of the motor
sections evoked physical responses to the joke.
This is different from what happens with
emotional responses. Emotional responses appear to be confined to specific
areas of the brain, while laughter seems to be produced via a circuit that runs
through many regions of the brain. (This means that damage to any of these
regions can impair one's sense of humour and response to humour, experts say.)
THE LIMBIC SYSTEM
When we look more closely at the areas of
the brain involved with laughter, the limbic system seems to be central. The
limbic system is a network of structures located beneath the cerebral cortex.
This system is important because it controls some behaviours, which are
essential to the life of all mammals (finding food, self-preservation).
Interestingly, the same structures found in
the human limbic system can also be found in the brains of evolutionary ancient
animals such as the alligator. In the alligator, the limbic system is heavily
involved in smell and plays an important role in defending territory, hunting
and eating prey. In humans, the limbic system is more involved in motivation
and emotional behaviours.
While the structures in this highly
developed part of the brain interconnect, research has shown that the amygdala,
a small almond-shaped structure deep inside the brain, and the hippocampus, a
tiny, seahorse-shaped structure, seem to be the main areas involved with
emotions. The amygdala connects with the hippocampus as well as the medial
dorsal nucleus of the thalamus. These connections enable it to play an
important role in the mediation and control of major activities, such as
friendship, love and affection and on the expression of mood. The hypothalamus,
particularly its median part, has been identified as a major contributor to the
production of loud, uncontrollable laughter.
WHAT’S FUNNY?
Laughter is triggered when we find
something humorous. There are three traditional theories about what we find
humorous:
1.
The incongruity theory suggests
that humour arises when logic and familiarity are replaced by things that don't
normally go together. Researcher Thomas Veatch says a joke becomes funny when
we expect one outcome and another happens. When a joke begins, our minds and
bodies are already anticipating what's going to happen and how it's going to
end. That anticipation takes the form of logical thought intertwined with
emotion and is influenced by our past experiences and our thought processes.
When the joke goes in an unexpected direction, our thoughts and emotions
suddenly have to switch gears. We now have new emotions, backing up a different
line of thought. In other words, we experience two sets of incompatible
thoughts and emotions simultaneously. We experience this incongruity between
the different parts of the joke as humorous.
2.
The superiority theory comes
into play when we laugh at jokes that focus on someone else's mistakes,
stupidity or misfortune. We feel superior to this person, experience a certain
detachment from the situation and so are able to laugh at it.
3.
The relief theory is the basis
for a device movie-makers have used effectively for a long time. In action
films or thrillers where tension is high, the director uses comic relief at
just the right times. He builds up the tension or suspense as much as possible
and then breaks it down slightly with a side comment, enabling the viewer to
relieve himself of pent-up emotion, just so the movie can build it up again!
Similarly, an actual story or situation creates tension within us. As we try to
cope with two sets of emotions and thoughts, we need a release and laughter is
the way of cleansing our system of the built-up tension and incongruity.
(According to Dr. Lisa Rosenberg, humour, especially dark humour, can help
workers cope with stressful situations. "The act of producing humour, of
making a joke, gives us a mental break and increases our objectivity in the
face of overwhelming stress," she says.)
LAUGHTER AND
HEALTH
We've long known that the ability to laugh
is helpful to those coping with major illness and the stress of life's
problems. But researchers are now saying laughter can do a lot more. It can
basically bring balance to all the components of the immune system, which helps
us fight off diseases. As we mentioned earlier, laughter reduces levels of
certain stress hormones. In doing this, laughter provides a safety valve that
shuts off the flow of stress hormones, and the fight-or-flight compounds that
swing into action in our bodies when we experience stress, anger or hostility.
These stress hormones suppress the immune system, increase the number of blood
platelets (which can cause obstructions in arteries) and raise blood pressure.
When we're laughing, natural killer cells that destroy tumours and viruses
increase, as do Gamma-interferon (a disease-fighting protein), T-cells, which
are a major part of the immune response, and B-cells, which make
disease-destroying antibodies.
Laughter may lead to hiccuping and
coughing, which clears the respiratory tract by dislodging mucous plugs.
Laughter also increases the concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A, which
defends against infectious organisms entering through the respiratory tract.
What may surprise you even more is the fact
that researchers estimate that laughing 100 times is equal to 10 minutes on the
rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Laughing can be a total body
workout! Blood pressure is lowered, and there is an increase in vascular blood
flow and in oxygenation of the blood, which further assists healing. Laughter
also gives your diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back
muscles a workout. That's why you often feel exhausted after a long bout of
laughter -- you've just had an aerobic workout!
The psychological benefits of humour are
quite amazing. People often store negative emotions, such as anger, sadness and
fear, rather than expressing them. Laughter provides a way for these emotions
to be harmlessly released. Laughter is cathartic. That's why some people who
are upset or stressed out go to a funny movie or a comedy club, so they can
laugh the negative emotions away (these negative emotions, when held inside,
can cause biochemical changes that can affect our bodies).
Increasingly, mental health professionals
are suggesting "laughter therapy," which teaches people how to laugh,
openly, at things that aren't usually funny and to cope in difficult situations
by using humour. Following the lead of real-life funny-doc Patch Adams
(portrayed by Robin Williams in a movie by the same name), doctors and
psychiatrists are becoming more aware of the therapeutic benefits of laughter
and humour.
Here
are some tips to help you put more laughter in your life:
- Figure out what makes you laugh
and do it (or read it or watch it) more often.
- Develop your own sense of humour.
Maybe even take a class to learn how to be a better comic, or at least a better
joke-teller at that next party.
- Be funny every chance you get
-- as long as it's not at someone else's expense!
