Why do you start laughing when you hear or see something funny?
In: 898
My understanding is that the best hypothesis among neuroscientists right now is that laughter is an extension of an early primate’s “all clear” signal. The idea is that you see or hear something that seems like it might indicate danger, but then you identify the source as something that is actually silly and innocuous. You make a noise, both to release the tension of the situation and to indicate to your fellow primates that there is no actual danger here. In other words, “Ha ha! For a second I thought that vine was a snake.”
Most jokes in some way hinge upon this mechanic. The setup builds up some kind of tension, and then the punchline reveals the source of the tension to actually be something silly rather than serious.
It’s also theorized that this may have something to do with the reason why we laugh when we’re tickled. Tickling is the rough equivalent of the “play-fighting” instinct in cats and dogs–someone reaches out and grabs you in a manner that seems threatening, and weak spots (like your armpits, neck, and belly) are the ones that elicit the strongest response. The person being tickled laughs, as a way of indicating to onlookers “Don’t worry, this is not actually a threatening situation! We’re just playing!”
Latest Answers