You find a funny meme on the Internet. You chuckle to yourself and decide to show your friend. They start giggling which makes you only laugh harder. Your friend picks up on this and their laughter dials up and now you two are in a symphony of hilarity and you wonder if the little meme was even that funny to begin with.
Why do we laugh, and why do we seem to laugh more around others? Well secret’s out, you’re wired to do so just like chimpanzees are wired to groom each other.
Are Laugh Tracks… actually useful?
Laughter plays a key role in social communication. It’s a human’s way of expressing they want to connect with others, and it can reveal how close those connections are. In a 2001 Psychological Science study, voiced laughter (think of your typical hahahaha) was reported to invoke a more positive reaction out of the listener and prompt them to be interested in meeting the speaker. We laugh to seem approachable and bond with others. That’s also why people are 30 times more likely to laugh in a group than to laugh alone regardless of how funny the actual joke is. The laugh track of older TV series mimics sitting in a social situation with other people watching the show to try to make the experience more enjoyable.
Not all laughter is the same though. People can pick up the subtle mannerisms of laughter and what those differences might mean. For example, a 2016 international study showed that 60% of the time people accurately can differentiate whether or not two individuals were good friends or strangers just by their laughs (So yes, you awkwardly strain laughing at a coworker’s joke does not always go unnoticed). Laughter can also distinguish power hierarchy between two individuals based on whether the person has a dominant or submissive laugh in the situations. Those with more power in a social situation will have a dominant laugh that is louder and possesses much more irregularities in pitch and tone than a submissive laugh, as the person in power feels more disinhibited during the situation.
Even though you might never mutter a word when you laugh, you’re still subtly communicating and bonding with others.
Laughter is the Best Medicine. No Really.
Is the social element of laughter not your cup of tea? There’s plenty of health-related benefits to laughing too. Laughing can:
- Reduce stress by releasing tension in the body and helping blood to circulate and muscles to relax.
- Improve mood through releasing endorphins
- Increase your intake of oxygen
So not only are you improving your social status with laughter, but you’re strengthening your body too. Don’t feel afraid to laugh it up with someone next time! Even if it’s at some dumb meme on the Internet.
Citations
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2021, July 29). Stress relief from laughter? it’s no joke. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456
Michel, A. (2017, March 31). The science of humor is no laughing matter. Association for Psychological Science – APS. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/the-science-of-humor-is-no-laughing-matter
Stierwalt, S. (2020, February 9). Why do we laugh? Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-we-laugh/
