First of all, what is laughter, and why do we laugh?
Most people laugh when something is funny or when they’re happy, while some individuals laugh to cope with an uncomfortable or confusing situation. But whether you’re laughing at a joke, or because you’re embarrassed, it’s an involuntary action and everyone does it.
Laughing as an action is part of human psychology, biology and society. There is no specific gender, ethnicity, nor country that laughs, simply every human being laughs at some point in their life. The causes of laughter are both social and biological. The body’s reaction to particular emotions can be laughing, crying or really anything, and sometimes a person can react differently to the same thing. The main reason people laugh is because they’re reacting to something socially related. Many people for example, purposely laugh to fit into a certain group of people, it’s used as a tool to seem more approachable. A socially acceptable action. And then there’s always that girl back in high school that laughed at everything a guy would say because she liked him/wanted him to think she was interested, whether she was or not.
There are also specific natural elements that can cause laughter in humans, laughing gas (nitrous oxide) and mirth have been found to cause the giggles. And although people can inhibit the action as a reaction to specific social situations, for example purposely laughing at a joke even though you don’t find it funny, most laughter occurs involuntarily, unconsciously. Although scientists and doctors have yet to find specific muscle contractions, chemicals, and brain mechanisms that cause laughter, there is evidence that it can benefit a person’s health and well-being, by not only helping with lowering blood pressure, but boost the immune system, triggers the release of endorphins, lowers anxiety and helps circulation which can help prevent against heart attacks and other cardiovascular related problems.
There are also specific “Laughing Classes” that are exactly what they are called. A class to learn how to laugh. Since laughter has been proven to release hormones and stress, professionals who already make a living by helping people relax (like yoga teachers, masseuses, counselors and even personal trainers) research the health benefits of laughter then conduct specific classes for the sake of either distressing or even working out. Yes, you read that correctly, laughing is a workout all in itself since you’re contracting muscles. In fact you can have a pretty successful ab workout by just laughing. Doctors and psychologists have also found that laughter is regulated by the brain to help the person cope with social interactions (which explains how/why people laugh at both funny and not so funny things). So sometimes accidental things really can be helpful!
However, laughter isn’t a just thing for only adults let alone only humans. In fact, most people laugh for the first time when they’ve reached 4 months old, and this is just as important as a baby’s first smile when it comes to human behavioral development.
Even animals have been known to display laughter like actions, such as panting when being tickled.
Below I’ve listed a few synonyms for “laughter/laughing/laugh”:
Chuckle,
Giggle,
Chortle,
Yukking it up,
Guffaw,
Cackle,
Snicker,
Titter,
Snigger,
Howl,
Cachinnate,
Crack up,
Split one’s sides,
Joshing.
Sources:
Wikepedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter
Psychology Today:http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/laughter
Helpguide.org: http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm
Laughter Yoga University:http://www.laughteryoga.org/english
Care2.com:http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-health-benefits-of-laughter.html
I’d love to know where all the facts you share come from. It would lend to the credibility of your blog. I’d also encourage you to consider the physical layout of the blog. While it shouldn’t look like a paper, of course, the spacing is confusing.
I like the topic you picked and the way you broke it down into sections like why people laugh, what research says about it, the classes available and lastly the synonyms which were a really interesting way to end this post. I’ve been told by many people that I laugh a lot, which is quite true considering that I laugh at almost anything and I have no idea why I do. Considering that, this article was insightful and it made me realize that I don’t get sick very often because I laugh a lot and in the article you said laughing boosts the immune system.
You could even go so far as to say that comedians (successful ones) could be some kind of laugh doctor. The importance of laughter in day to day life may not be stated, but everybody is looking for a good laugh. It’s interesting to see how continued research unveils more and more the importance and benefits of laughter.
I think that this is definitely a good topic to address for your blog. It only makes sense that you would be able to cause something if you know more about it. In a high school theater class I took one year, my teacher explained that comedy and laughter was the brain’s version of short-circuiting. Most jokes are created by establishing a pattern and breaking it. When something is very surprising and does not characteristically fit the situation, it will often make people laugh. I thought it was interesting how you also brought up the sociology of laughter. Personally I didn’t spend too much time really thinking about that. I can’t wait to see what you write next week!