What makes things funny?
Why do we laugh?
Everyone would like to be funny. I have never met anyone who doesn’t like to laugh, therefore making people laugh assures you that they will like you, right?
Today’s piece of curiosity is about knowing why. It tickles me to know the reason why we laugh and why things are funny. In the process, I hope you’ll find insights not only about how to make others laugh but also about how and why you should make laughter and humor a bigger part of your lives.
1. Why do we laugh in the first place?
We laugh for various reasons, but the main function of laughter is social bonding and strengthening of the group. It helps individuals within the group to show they are taking part in the social activity without needing to be actively communicating. Laughter evolved in primates millions of years ago. Apes laugh as we do when tickled.
Tickling is actually the most primal trigger of laughter. But why is that?
Tickling is a form of play, mimicking an attack in a benign and harmless way. Laughter -your response when tickled- is a way to show your acceptance of the act of playing as well as a display of submission to the harmless attacker, strengthening social bonds. It is believed that laughter is evolutionarily hard-wired in our brains because it had been essential to our survival as social animals since groups with stronger bonds tend to survive longer and have more offspring.
2. What makes things funny?
As we’ve just seen above, laughter has its roots in playfulness, especially in the simulation of a harmless attack. There’s a theory of humor that makes a lot of sense to me. It says that something will make us laugh if it is a benign violation.
Something will be funny as long as it feels wrong or challenges a standard (violation) but actually is not harmful to you or people within your group (benign) in any way.
For example, it is more funny to see a stranger slip on a banana peel and getting away unhurt on TV than to have your best friend slip on it and get away with a broken spine.
3. Benefits of laughter
There are so many of them, but I got a list of 30 that I got from the great talk from Andrew Tarwin at TEDxTAMU. Definitely go watch it at once!
Laughter:
- Decreases stress hormones.
- Get people to listen.
- Increases memory retention
- Improves understanding
- Aids in learning
- Helps communicate messages
- Improves group cohesiveness
- Reduces status differentials
- Defuses conflict
- Builds trust
- Boosts overall brainpower
- Increases objectivity
- Improves focus
- Triggers new connections
- Enhances problem solving skills
- Improves likability
- Increases attractiveness
- Prevents long-term burnout
- Provides a boost of energy
- Improves productivity
- Lowers blood pressure
- Improves the immune system
- Reduces the risk of heart disease
- Burns calories
- Increases happiness
- Increases perceived leadership skills
- Creates more opportuinities
- Improves personal ratings
- Builds confidences in abilities
- Increases size of paycheck
Photo Credit: Chris Huggins – A-maze-ing laughter
Strong Curiosity 
[…] Who doesn’t appreciate a little bit of humor? Humor is over underrated in our busy societies, but it helps lubricate the complicated machinery of our social interactions. People who can understand and use humor are usually more likely to be considered as more likeable and more trustworthy by their peers. (More on laughter and humor in this article.) […]
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