Laughing we all do it and we know it is something that is natural to us. but what really is Laughter?
According to Science.howstuffworks Laughter is a form of communication in a way of being social.Laughing is more then just a sound but also the way your muscle moves in your body. When these two parts are combined we are squeezing the air out and not taking enough in making it harder for us to breathe. Now we have all experienced if we see someone laughing everybody else in the room starts laughing as well. Why is this is laughter contagious? Well According to PsyArticles human emotions laughter, smiling, crying and so on this is more do to bonding or for the social environment that you are trying to fit in its a natural response. In the same article they tell you about a research that showed them 3 kinds of movies and then they measured their brain wave. They found that whatever the type of movie it was pleasant, unpleasant and neutral they had the same response. And later on Dr. Sophie Scott says something that catches my attention in the same article when she says “mirroring behaviors” and it makes sense cause this happens as soon as we are born, We “mirror behaviors” we learn how to talk and act from our parents and whoever we interact with and laughter goes along with that too.
I hope this article helps you get an idea of what laughter is and why it is contagious
I just wrote a blog post about the contagious nature of coughing (check it out!) and found it funny that you shined light upon the mirroring effect of human emotions. I believe that psychologically, humans do tend to mirror the actions and behavior of other people. When individuals feel sadness or pain, others develop empathy and a willingness to help out. This is also directly related to mirror neurons, which act to give people the same “feeling” when they see something happening to another individual. Check out this article about mirror neurons: http://www.brainfacts.org/brain-basics/neuroanatomy/articles/2008/mirror-neurons/
Laughing is great! I try to find happiness in everyday and most of my happiness is experienced laughing. I have read numerous times that if fake laugh for long enough you will actually start to laugh really hard. So if you find yourself down without a reason to laugh, try this technique. I like that you pointed out that laughter is a form of communication, becuase this is very accurate. Whenever a person laughs at a joke, movie, conversation etc. they are communicating that they think that situation is humorous. While laughing is mostly used in humorous situations, the nervous laugh is becoming more popular. The nervous laugh is experienced when you feel as if you are in an uncomfortable situation with nothing left to but laugh to try to cover up how you actually feel. I would like to leave you off with this video that I have seen many times surface on my Facebook and other social media because it is a perfect example of laughing being contagious! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UctRZ91m9XA ENJOY!
Laughing is like a hobby to me. If you don’t always see me with a smile or bursting out laughing then something is probably wrong with me. Laughing I think is one of the most contagious things to a human. I always find myself in situations where I should be laughing and not smiling but then I spot my friend across the room and just start laughing my lungs out. Usually theres no reason for my laughter its just always in the moment of whatever I’m doing. Another day way to make me laugh is when I see somebody laughing because of something I will have no idea of, I start laughing with them. Laughing is not a bad thing and you can never get too much of it. Laughing makes you happy so why wouldn’t you want to be happy?
I sometimes wonder why I find myself laughing merely because another person is laughing. I enjoyed this post, especially after some of the more depressing blogs that have been written. I don’t think that much science needs to be down on it, but definitely intriguing.