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Physiology of laughter research
Physiology of laughter research
Physiology of laughter research
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The joy of laughter is all around us/everywhere nowadays. From the front page of reddit.com to the lecture of my college classes. Humor have it’s way into sneaking into our lives no matter where we head. But what is humor, and why do we laugh at the thing we laugh at. According to John Morreal laughter is a cause by the sudden change to happiness or greatness “Laughter result from a pleasant Pscyological shift Morreall (249)”. Morreall states that this theory applies to nearly all laughter. It does not matter what age nor situation somebody is in, this theory applies to it all. For example, he states that a baby laugh at a game of peekaboo because the baby feels the sudden change of somebody disappearing and reappearing.But the baby will only feel this joy of sudden shift by the presence reappearing. The baby will feel despair if the shift have gone another direction and the pleasant presence does not appear. I do agree with Morreall theory of laughter that laughter mostly result from a pleasant physiological shift.
Morreal other reason for laughter is being forced into it by a social situation. “ But the muscle involved in laughing are voluntary muscle, and so can laughter be perform as an action of independently of our being in any particular situation, Morreall (252)” Most of us can relate to this theory. We have all been in a situation where have to laugh because it was appropriate. For example when a famous comedian came perform at my college. Even though I did not find his act funny . I had to laugh because everybody around me was laughing. I did not want to be the person with a neutral expression on his face while everybody was having a good time laughing. So I force myself to laugh because it was appropriate in tha...
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...able to express this emotion everywhere. We are able to show respect and trust to each other through this action.“As in laughing and broadly smiling the cheeks and upper lip are much raised, the nose appears to be shortened, and the skin on the bridge becomes finely wrinkled in transverse lines, with other oblique longitudinal lines on the sides. The upper front teeth are commonly exposed. A well-marked naso-labial fold is formed, which runs from the wing of each nostril to the corner of the mouth; and this fold is often double in old persons. Darwin 812” This laughter that is caused by the sudden pleasant Psychological shift might have saved our ancestors lives.
Laughter being appearance of happiness might also explain why people fake laugh. By faking our laugh, we will appear harmless to other people. This deception greatly increase trust between each other.
This book is about so many things, it is hard to stay on one topic for any length of time. In order to focus on the laugh and laughing as a healing agent, I would like to look towards other influential writers and thinkers to tie together laughing and healing. First, let’s see what laughter is according to Meriam Webster: laughter- n. a cause of merriment. Using this simple definition, we can assume that laughter can come from any form of merriment or emotion like triumph, contempt, relief, and almost any other emotion there is. It is easy to picture in your head different underlying emotions in laughter; the sinister laughs of witches and ghosts, the insincere, fake laughs you hear after pointless, humorless attempts at jokes on the six o’clock news, to the silent laughs of mimes and clowns that fill the people around them with a happy feeling. These are all examples of what laughter is and how it is used. But why do we do it? What in nature created the laugh and made it so successful?
Laughter is unique movements of the face and body that are expressed due to amusement and sometimes contempt or derision. (Websters) But do we not need more than that? Do we not deserve to know more? Of course. Although laughter is something that we don’t ever really think about doing, it still requires a lot of our brain, lungs, and muscles. Laughing’s medical definition is a psycho-physiological reflex, a successive, rhythmic, spasmodic expiration with open glottis and vibration of the vocal chords often accompanied by a baring of teeth and facial grimaces. (Nieder, 2014). It simply means that no matter what happens, we can’t control laughter. It’s an involuntary impulse. In fact, it’s a negatively charged electrical impulse traveling through the cerebral cortex. However, I want to know more. What muscles produce the huge smile? What creates the wonderful sound of laughter?
Although modern science has allowed us to develop many complex medicines, laughter is still the strongest one available in the real world and in the book. Laughter proves to be a strong medicine in more ways than one and is completely free, allowing anyone to use it at anytime. It allows us to connect socially with people, it can be used as a way of overthrowing power, and it is good for your health. As Randle McMurphy showed in the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, laughter can lighten the mood in the darkest situations.
Laughter is an interesting topic. Mainly because of the lack of thought that goes with it as to why we laugh. In an article titled Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic by Henri Bergson, the theory behind why things are funny is explored. He mentions many different things in his article pertaining to the comic, however, there are a few that stand out more than others. He talks directly about the fact that things are only funny if they relate to humans. Then he touches on the idea that accidents are funnier than planned events. Finally, he speaks on laughter being directly related to social setting. The 1992 film Noises Off is a perfect demonstration of everything that Bergson writes about. Henri Bergson’s essay on laughter is perfectly supported by the film Noises Off.
Laughing is resorted to in times where we need to laugh. It’s an escape from reality, its comfort, its fear. Laughing subdues any emotion that is too high strung in our system. It lets it vapor out in a melancholy form that helps us cope with problems that no one else can really understand and help us with. In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest it allowed emotional tension escape from the patients and made nurse Ratched lose her ward.
Psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists study humor because it is a fundamental culture value, but they still can’t determine why certain things make some people laugh and others not. There are “humor quotient” tests that are designed to measure an individual’s sense of humor, but these tests are questionable. These tests aren’t accurate because almost all humor depends on cultural background knowledge and language skills. Not every person in the whole world, or even in one country share the same background knowledge and skills, therefore they cannot have the same type of humor. “The fact remains that individuals vary in their appreciation of humor” (Rappoport 9). Since humor varies from individual to individual, humor lies in the individual. How successful or funny a joke is depends on how the person receives the joke, humor cannot be measured by a statistical
In the beginning of the novel, the men are experiencing laughter for the first time, setting them off guard, and it already starts to make an impact on them. When the men are in the day room waiting for the new patient to arrive, they are shocked to see R.P. McMurphy walk in laughing and having a good time. Then men were taken back a few steps and once McMurphy got acquainted with them they started talking about the Big Nurse and how she runs the ward like a pecking party. McMurphy listens and takes note that every man on the ward is scared and Cheswick says that he is not, however McMurphy responds by saying, “But the rest are even scared to open up and laugh. I haven’t heard a real laugh since I came through that door. Man, when you lose your laugh you lose your footing” (70). McMurphy is arguably the most sane person on the ward, and by laughing and joking around it reminds Chief of how good it would feel and how much happier a person would be if they laughed every once and a while. What McMurphy is saying is that when a person is not laughing, they are n...
as being pleasant and polite, whereas they may turn nasty when doing so. something. I'm not sure what to do. The generation of laughter is also used many times. throughout a film to help make the viewer laugh for no apparent reason.
Laughter is an essential human phenomenon. Smiling in response to pleasant physical conditions occurs in early development, usually in the first month of life. As a motor reflex, laughter is usually present by the time a child is 4 months old. By the age of eighteen months, a child smiles once every six minutes, and by four years of age, the rate increases to one smile every one and one-third minutes. The ratio of laughs to smiles increases from one laugh to every ten smiles as eighteen months to one every three smile at four years. The individual differences in the rate of both laughing and smiling become greater as the children grow older. (Stearns, 1972) The instinctual development of smiling and laughing occurs very early in life, suggesting a high level of importance.
3. Apte, Mahadev L. Humor and Laughter: An Anthropological Approach. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 1985.
Therefore, laughter therapy can be a series of cognitive-behavioural therapies that helps to make physical, psychological, and social relationships healthy and ultimately improves the quality of life (Ko and Youn 2011). It has taken a very long time for laughter to become a recognized medical therapy. Dr. William Fry of Stanford University School of Medicine developed a theory of laughter therapy, and found that humour and laughter produced natural painkillers in pituitary, such as endorphins, improved blood circulation, and decreased stress (Fry and Salameh
Never forget to laugh. "If you can laugh at it, you can survive it" (Cosby). Life is difficult for everyone. It is how people deal with these strives and struggle is what matters. Sometimes, the best way to get a break from the hardships of life is to simply laugh with friends and family. It’s a Balance process. Some people can be caught up in life’s problems and forget to laugh. Laughter is the mental medicine for life. Laughter supports the health of the body. Laughter can break up the quietness in a room. Laughter can change the room from black and white to a rainbow of colors. Laughter is a result of looking at something in a positive light. Is the glass half empty or half full? Whatever the circumstance, never underestimate the power of a good giggle. Never forget to laugh.
They have always been ongoing studies coming from this subject. They are enduring mysteries how the brain works when it comes to humor. When attempting to understand how the brain works. The brain is a complex secret when it comes to humor. So many people have different views of humor. It’s capable of changing as society changes. Our parents and grandparents could find something funny that they heard in there time, that the generation of today would not find so humorous. There's also humor that is parents and grandparents think was okay, but no longer are they accepted. Are smiling and laughing is based on the same circuits within the brain. It is extremely difficult to understand many things about the brain. When it comes to humor, all we surely know is that when we find a situation funny, it is okay to laugh, smile and live like the next joke is around the
Hiding behind humor can be a serious problem; it can not be the only way of expressing our emotions. Some of the greatest comedians have been secretly depressed. Using humor as a defense mechanism can be a serious mental health issue.
If there is one way to bring a smile to someone’s face, it is laughter. Funny jokes, comical stunts, sarcasm- Every person is different when it comes to what makes them laugh. Some find dry humor comical. Others think sarcasm or joke-filled ranting are the best. ‘Comedy’ is such a broad term, broad enough to allow everyone to find something they find comical. In fact, ‘comedy’ includes a specific type of drama, one where the protagonist is joyful and happy endings are expected. Comedy is like a drug; it allows you to escape reality. When we say the word ‘comedy’ in the present, we are generally referring to a type of performance which provides humor. However, in its broadest sense, comedy has only one purpose: comedy makes people smile and