laughter

While the 1980’s were the decade in which the “laughter-is-healthy” view point finally gained scientific respectability, the 1900’s may be one in which laughter’s therapeutic limits become defined, its weaknesses understood. That may sound like a depressed take on a cheerful subject, but it’s not. For the better we understand when laughter is useful, the more effectively we can organize it. Although most vocal sounds other than words are usually considered prelinguistic language, the phenomenon of laughter as a form of communication is in a category by itself, with its closest relative being its apparent opposite--crying. Today I will be discussing why we do not all laugh at the same things, how laughter affects the brain and the connection between health and laughter.
Experts say that several obvious differences in people affect what they find humorous. The most significant seems to be age. Infants and children are constantly discovering the world around them. ...