“The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” Mark Twain.

A sense of humour:

Saying someone has a sense of humour may mean different things to different people. For example, the perceptions of what constitutes a desirable sense of humour in a potential partner, are quite different between the opposite sexes:-

• Women perceive a good sense of humour in a prospective mate as someone who makes them laugh.

• Men regard a good sense of homour in a prospective mate as someone who laughs at their jokes!

Generally speaking, a sense of humour can have many different meanings:

• Someone who laughs at the same things that we do.

• Someone who is easily amused and laughs a great deal.

• Someone who amuses other people by telling jokes or funny stories.

• The ability to comprehend jokes and humorous stimuli.

• The way in which people express mirth.

• The ability to come up with humorous comments or perceptions.

• The ability to appreciate humorous material such as jokes or cartoons.

• The degree to which they seek out sources that make them laugh.

• The ability to remember jokes or funny events.

• The ability to use humour as a coping mechanism or defense mechanism

• The ability of not taking oneself too seriously and to laugh at one’s own mistakes and weaknesses.

• A temperament trait such as being habitually cheerful or playful

• A positive attitude toward humour and humorous people.

The role of laughter in relationships:

Studies have shown that individuals in dating and married relationships, who perceive their partners to have a good sense of humour, tend to be more satisfied with their relationship, in comparison with those who view their partners as not having a good sense of humour. Happily married couples have indicated that shared humour and laughter play an important part in their marital satisfaction.

Researchers observed that during discussions about problems in their marriages, those couples who are more satisfied with their marriage show higher levels of humour and more reciprocated laughter during these discussions, than those who are unhappily married.

Laughter bonds us through humour and is a proven facilitator of healthy relationships.

The biological psychology of humor and laughter:

Studies into the biological processes that are involved in humour lies in the domain of biological psychology, which is the branch of psychology that studies the relation between behaviour and the body. For most people laughter occurs spontaneously, while not being consciously aware of the complex biological processes that are involved.

Cognitive processes stimulate emotional systems in the brain when humour is perceived, and result in positive feelings of mirth and amusement. These emotional systems release biochemical molecules, such as endorphins (the “feel-good” chemicals also released during exercise), that produce changes in the brain and gets further distributed via the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system to the rest of the body.

As one of our basic emotions, mirth is a psychological process that is experienced upon a playful stimulus event. Many systems located in various regions of the cerebral cortex are involved, such as language comprehension, visual perception, auditory perception, social cognition and logical reasoning. The visible emotional display of mirth is a smile or laughter – the more intense the emotion, the stronger the display.

Laughter involves the brainstem and forebrain, as well as nerves leading to the face, larynx and respiratory system. Muscles that control our breathing, larynx and vocal apparatus are activated and the sounds of laughter are produced when the muscles in the chest squeeze out the air from our ribcages under high pressure. MRI scans have shown that the lips, tongue, soft palate and jaw do not really move during laughter, it all comes from the ribcage.

Mirthful laughter is quite different from the kind of laughter that may accompany other emotions, such as embarrassment or anxiety. People from different cultures and who speak different languages all recognise laughter as laughter – a universal language!

It is interesting to note that individuals have distinctive sounds of laughter, which makes their laughs as easy to recognize as their voices.

Remember: When we laugh, we are in a happy place!

Sources:

Lee S. Berk. Mind, Body, Spirit: Exploring the Mind, Body, Spirit Connection through Research on Mirthful Laughter. Spirituality, Health, and Wholeness, an Introductory Guide for Health Care Professionals: Haworth Press, 2004.

The science of laughter. Article by Prof Sophie Scott, University College, London. Published 11 September 2016. BBC. (www.bbc.com)

The science of laughter. Reviewed 9 June 2016. Psychology Today. (www.psychologytoday.com)

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