The Secret to Live Long and Prosper: Laughter
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You get home from a long day at the office. Your spouse is out with friends so you have no one to complain about your boss to.
You warm up some dinner, flop on the couch, and check your streaming service for something to take your mind off work.
Lo and behold, your favorite comedian has released a new stand-up special! Your heart leaps with joy as you start the show, already smiling in anticipation.
In our stressful world, finding things that make us laugh can make all the difference.
“Laughter is the best medicine” is one of those old sayings that everyone repeats and accepts as common knowledge, but is it true? How can a silly story that causes a strange sound to burst out of your body, be medicine?
Why Do We Laugh?
When did humans start laughing? Were cave people hosting comedy night around the campfire? Were hunter-gatherers laughing at farts?
According to the philosopher John Morreall, human laughter may have started as a sign of shared relief at the passing of danger.
Laughter inhibits the fight-or-flight response, so if you and your buddies successfully ran away from a saber-tooth tiger, sharing a laugh at your survival would slow the flow of adrenaline.
John Morreall also believes that laughter indicates trust in one’s companions. Laughing with a stranger quickly makes them a friend!
There are three theories of what humans find funny:
- The Incongruity theory
- The Superiority theory
- The Relief Theory
Leave a comment with your favorite joke!
1. The incongruity theory suggests that humor arises when logic and familiarity are replaced by things that don’t normally go together. For example:
“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” — Jim Brewer
This is an example of paraprosdokia in which the last half of the sentence surprises the audience and causes them to return to reevaluate their assumptions of the first part of the sentence.
Researcher Thomas Veatch says “a joke becomes funny when we expect one outcome, and another happens.”
With paraprosdokia, we assume we know what is going to happen, but when the joke suddenly shifts directions, we have two different sets of emotions. The emotions for the ending we assumed, and the new, different ending.
The difference between the emotions, makes us laugh.
2. The superiority theory is the basis for jokes based on someone else’s mistakes, stupidity, or misfortune. For example, the classic blonde trope:
Q: Why can’t a blonde dial 911? A: She can’t find the eleven.
These won’t make you popular because there’s usually one person who doesn’t get to laugh. This leaves their potential for bonding less than the first theory, but still a very popular category.
3. The relief theory has been used in movies for a long time.
In films, such as action or thrillers where tension is high, the director uses comic relief at just the right times. This relates back to the theory from John Morreall, that laughter came with the passing of danger.
When we’re watching a high-octane, stressful action film, we feel like we’re in the action! That buildup of tension needs to be broken, or filmmakers would have people walking out en masse.
Breaking the tension with a joke gives us a mental break and resets our stress response.
Health Benefits of Laughter
Laughter is the best medicine, especially when we are stressed out.
Here is what laughter does:
- Reduces stress hormones and the fight-or-flight response
- Increases natural killer cells (these fight cancer and viruses)
- Increases Gamma-interferon (disease fighter)
- Increases T-cells and B-cells (major parts of the immune response)
- Increases salivary immunoglobulin A (defends lungs from infectious organisms) (Source)
Studies have shown that laughing more is associated with improved mental health, fewer headaches and loneliness, and a lower risk of heart disease!
Laughter’s social science benefit is its importance in the community. Laughing with people builds bonds and pleasant memories. Humans need friendly connections to thrive!
According to cultural anthropologist Mahadev Apte, “the more laughter (there is), the more bonding occurs within the group.”
Social bonding is a panacea for good health. According to the CDC, social connection helps prevent:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Anxiety and Depression
- Dementia
Social connection can help with:
- Improve ability to recover from stress, anxiety, and depression
- Promote healthy eating and physical activity
- Improve sleep, well-being, and quality of life
- Prevent death from chronic disease
Humans need social connection, especially people that you can joke around and laugh away the worries of the world with. Having these bonds will yield a lifetime of health benefits, as well as precious memories.
Find a friend and have a laugh!
If you are stressed out and need a quick comedy boost, watch your favorite comedy shows or comedians!
Thanks for reading,
