Why Do We Laugh??

M

mike2niner4

Registered Member
I've often wondered why we laugh when we find something funny, why not just enjoy it in our heads and not laugh But i suppose laughing is good :p

Can anyone enlighten me??

Thanks

Mike:D:D
 
social paradigm. Laughing is a way of communication that has proven effective in being winning evolutionary as a result of social appreciation.
 
Didn't it evolve from submissive behavior in our ancestors, like apes still show today ?
 
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there are two things here, actually more but you cannot have laughter without these:

facial expression change

air coming from mid section
 
isnt it part of the process? the features, at the mouth, are similar to smiling and they are related. i think laughing has the facial expression of smiling but the mouth needs to open wider for activity in mid section which includes expelling air. otherwise a more closed mouthed smile would be sufficient.
 
John99 said:
isnt it part of the process? the features, at the mouth, are similar to smiling and they are related. i think laughing has the facial expression of smiling but the mouth needs to open wider for activity in mid section which includes expelling air. otherwise a more closed mouthed smile would be sufficient.
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My point was that, if smiling is considered laughing, your second point (air coming from mid section) is incorrect.
Smiling doesn't require air coming from the midsection.
 
ok enmos, but smiling is not considered laughing. it is, or can be, a precursor to it though. this is why they are related.

there are different types of laughs, as far as facial (mouth) expression but there is a normal, uninterrupted way to laugh. this includes opening mouth wider, otherwise people are trying to suppress it.
 
John99 said:
ok enmos, but smiling is not considered laughing. it is, or can be, a precursor to it though. this is why they are related.

there are different types of laughs, as far as facial (mouth) expression but there is a normal, uninterrupted way to laugh. this includes opening mouth wider, otherwise people are trying to suppress it.
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Ok, so were are talking about the "HAHAHA!" thing then ;)

I still stick with my earlier post.
 
honestly, i dont see how or why but that is ok. apes and monkeys do not laugh though. they can show emotion of excitement and to a lesser extent sheer joy but i dont know, do you have any examples of primates laughing that can honestly be viewed as an obvious instance of laughter?
 
John99 said:
honestly, i dont see how or why but that is ok. apes and monkeys do not laugh though. they can show emotion of excitement and to a lesser extent sheer joy but i dont know, do you have any examples of primates laughing that can honestly be viewed as an obvious instance of laughter?
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No, it's submissive behavior in apes. It evolved into laughter in humans. That's what I heard at least.
 
I think that throughout our experiences we suppress certain things that we find ridiculous or depressing. This creates tension in the stomach area. When someone points these things out, and it's not in a suppressing way, we allow ourselves to let go of that tension and it feels gooooooooooooooooooooooood!

You can notice this especially when you have that full body laugh where you just can't control it. Your stomach contracts and you expel air out your throat more (a key to singing). I think this repeated contraction and expansion is like a massage for your insides.

This kind of laugh usually comes from the most depressing things in our life - the things that create the most tension and stress for us. I firmly believe that all humor is rooted in tragedy.

Good question!
 
The special sounds and gestures made by infant bonobos also known as pygmy chimpanzees when they are tickled suggest that the origins of laughter may pre-date human evolution, according to a new report.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/afp/20031006/laughter.html

Evolutionarily elaborated from ape play-panting sometime between 4 million years ago and 2 million years ago, laughter arising from non-serious social incongruity promoted community play during fleeting periods of safety. Such non-serious social incongruity, it is argued, is the evolutionary precursor to humor as we know it.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051122184228.htm

"The 'ha, ha' noise of human laughter," Provine tells WebMD, "ultimately has its origins in the ritualized panting laughter of our primate ancestors." Some researchers have found laugh-like behavior in other animals, even in the rat.
...
Apes laugh at some of the same things that make infants laugh. While babies aren't known for subtle wit, they will squeal and laugh when you chase them or tickle them. In all likelihood, early adult humans -- before they started telling jokes -- laughed at the same sort of thing.
http://men.webmd.com/features/why-we-laugh?page=3
 
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