Laughter

[42nd-delay]

HK, I was wondering why we laugh. And before any of your wise asses can say it, I know it's because we hear or see or think of something funny. What I'm getting at is, what purpose does it serve? I can understand, for example, that coughing or sneezing act to remove irritants from our breathing canals. But what does laughing do? Do animals laugh?

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42nd-delay

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[DarkHippie]

i think other primates laugh. I know that they smile, but often with them a smile is a sign of submission.

(just a theory) Perhaps a laugh is just an exaggeration of a smile in other primates, and we could probably trace the reasons behind why we laugh to that (i.e. laughing when uncomfortable)

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[HordeKing1]

42ND DELAY - Interesting question, which has been the subject of intense study.

Quite a few animals laugh, and when the definition is expanded just slightly, to account for other expressions of happiness or play, almost all mamils laugh (I'm not certain about reptiles or aquatic life).

All the great apes (Chimps, Orangs and gorillas) laugh. It doesn't sound exactly like ours b/c the shape of our mouth, pallete, teeth and vocal cords are different.

Chimps, our closest genetic relative, laugh when they tickle each other and when they play.

How did it evolve? Well, much as our ansestoral species did hundreds of thousand of years ago (remember our species is just about 150,000 years old) our ape, chimp and monkey cousins make a warning "cry" when they or their troop is in danger. The laugh most likely evolved as an all-clear signal.

Now consider this. Does a laugh have to make a sound? Pet owners can attest that their dogs wag their tails and often jump about while playing. Even the common lab rats has some way of showing playfulness. Playfulness does not equal happiness, but then again, neither does laughter in humans.

One final point - The ability to be happy or playful does not create sentience. Of all the animals, humans alone appear to possess that distinction.

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[grlNIN]

Ok Horde King to get a little deeper into this subject:

I usually just chill out in a room by myself and just lay on a bed and think or something, nothing special but something insignificant, something small will set me off and ill start hysterical laughing for about 20 minutes. Itll be broken laughter, like itll stop and then a minute later itll be just like before. What is this and why the hell does it happen?

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[HordeKing1]

GRININ - It seems that the off and on hysterical laughter you're describing may be your means of dealing with anxiety or stress. It's a great way to do it. A sense of humor and laughter in the face of some of life's sillier moments is important.

It seems that this is what you're doing because you report that the laughter follows thinkking about something even something trivial.

Our emotions affect our immune system. laughter creates neurochemical changes that buffer the immunosuppressive effects of stress.

Stress casues the production of corticosteroids which have an immunosuppressive effect.

Reseacrchers at the Linda University School of Medicine have shown that the laughter lowers serum cortisol levels, increases the amount and activity of T lymphocytes-the natural killer cells. Laughter also increases the number of T cells that have suppresser receptors.

Here are some more benefits of laughter and why it's a good coping and defense mechanism:

1. Laughter lowers blood pressure and reduces hypertension.

2. Laughter provides cardiac conditioning especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercise.

3. Reduces stress hormones (studies shows, laughter induces reduction of at least four of neuroendocrine hormones-epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone, associated with stress response).

4. Laughter cleanses the lungs and body tissues of accumulated stale air as it empties more air than it takes in. It is beneficial for patients suffering from emphysema and other respiratory ailments.

5. It increases muscle flexion, relaxation and fluent blood circulation in body.

6. It boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and disease-destroying antibodies called B-cells.

7. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins-body's natural painkillers.

8. It produces a general sense of well-being.



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[legroommusic]

How can I use this knowledge to control the masses?

magical!

[Butters]

You can make a huge funny machine and turn us in to laughing ron&fez ninjas and have us attack big cities and cicken farms.