Ken Boddie

7 years ago · 6 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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What are you laughing at?

What are you laughing at?

Shimpei Ishayama and Michael Brecht/ScienceWhy do we laugh? 

Do all cultures and creatures laugh? 

Is laughter really the best medicine?

What happens when we tickle rats?

If you are bursting at the seams to find out the answers to these soul searching, contemplative, ridiculous, yet strangely compelling questions, then track down the comedian Jimmy Carr's BBC Two Horizon episode at this link: The Science of Laughter 

For those of you who bothered, I got exactly the same response - "Sorry, this episode is not currently available" - but, hey, it does show a great photo of Jimmy Carr if you're one of his fans.

Assuming that you don't have a direct link to the British Broadcasting Corporation's archive library, and aren't willing to wait a year or more until this riveting panel-based gathering of fancy-tickling experts is screened again by popular demand, then here is a succinct summary of what you missed. But first, please let me introduce Jimmy Carr's guests on the panel as follows:

  • Professor Sophie Scott, neuroscientist, from University College London; 
  • Professor Robin Dunbar, anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist, from the University of Oxford; and
  • Professor Peter McGraw, psychologist, from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
These eminent experts on "The Science of Laughter" can be Googled if you wish to further explore the teaser (or rather, tickler) presented in this buzz. 

Here is a rather short but succinct outline of what the programme covers, from the "not currently available" link above:

"Jimmy turns venerable documentary strand Horizon into a chat show, with eminent laughter scientists [listed above] as guests and a studio audience to use as guinea pigs. Jimmy and his guests try to get to the bottom of what laughter is, why we enjoy it so much and what, if anything, it has to do with comedy.
"Between them, and with the help of contributions from other scientists on film, Jimmy and guests discover that laughter is much older than our species, and may well have contributed to making us human."

Due to the rather sketchy notes I took watching this programme, I have had to fit in a few blanks with some basic reasoning substantiated by a number of other texts on this subject, some of which I reference below.  

I therefore invite you, the reader, to either agree with some of my embellishments or shoot me down in flames

Why do we laugh?

Laughter is one of the basic emotions. We laugh from nostalgia, embarrassment, to alleviate pain, depression, and out of pure relief when we are far enough removed from a mock threatening or compromising situation to make it safe to do so.

It was stated that traditional comedy takes three forms as follows:
  • 'Winner and Loser' - In order to avoid being offensive, particularly in an extremely cruel set of circumstances, either the loser, at whom we are more often invited to laugh by the stand-up comic, needs to be remote geographically or else sufficient time needs to have passed for the circumstances and recipient of ill fate (the 'Loser') to be acceptable as the object or subject of humour.
  • 'Safe Sex Release' - Here the emphasis appeared to be on laughter, like sex, resulting in the release of endorphins (more on this below) which are the body's natural 'feel good' chemicals, and hence there is a natural affinity for us to naturally enjoy sex jokes which give as a similar 'feel good' stimulus as sex, but without any inhibitions when presented to us by a comic.
  • 'Mismatch of Expectation and Reality' - This situation most commonly arrises when we are invited to laugh at the misfortunes of others.  Like the 'loser' scenario above, there may be a need for passage of time or remoteness for the joke to be funny rather than offensive.

Laughter is universal among humans, but what we laugh at is cultural and, what's more, the nature of our comedy (our societal jokes and the telling of them) changes as the world and our various societies change, either with passage of time or circumstances.

Laughter can be 'real' or 'posed' as follows: 
  • 'real' laughter is spontaneous and is freely given as a virtually automatic response, without preconception or reasoning; whereas
  • 'posed' laughter is given in a controlled or even contrived manner and can be associated with mimicry or a wish for association or respect.
The audience appeared to know the difference between 'real' and 'posed' laughter when specific examples were demonstrated, although I personally formed the conclusion that the decisions were instinctive rather than analytical in many cases.

Do all cultures and creatures laugh?

It appears that all human cultures engage in laughter, but many animals also laugh, monkeys and apes being specific examples that have been studied. 

One interesting conclusion is that we are reportedly 30 times more likely to laugh when we are with other people than when we are on our own.  Single persons were filmed watching comical situations being presented and, although they agreed that these situations were funny, they didn't necessarily exhibit laughter when on their own and some appeared not to be aware that they were not actually laughing outwardly.

Reference was made to the 'Dunbar Number,' formulated by panel member Robin Dunbar. This is defined, by Robin himself, in a separate interview for  Social Science Bytes  as essentially being "the number of people that you can have a meaningful relationship with, that’s really a limit imposed on that number by your ability to handle relationships, in effect". It was stated (in the subject episode and in many other references) that the Dunbar number for humans is 150, whereas the Dunbar number for monkeys and apes is 50. 

It is purported that these relationships (researched by Dunbar to arrive at a surprisingly re-occuring Dunbar number value) were originally initiated and stimulated by grooming, which is an important part in cementing animal society and in bonding between individuals. Grooming, however, now appears to have been replaced in human society by laughter as a bonding activity (not much need for delousing each other these days, fortunately). Although not specifically mentioned in this presentation (as far as I can remember) Robin Dunbar reinforces the grooming-to-laughter evolution in "Laugh it up" , stating the following: 

"Laughter contributes to group bonding, and may have been an important part in the evolution of highly social animals."

Is laughter really the best medicine?

As stated above, when we laugh, our body releases natural 'feel good' chemicals, called endorphins. Sounds good, but Blind Freddy could tell us that laughter makes us feel good, endorphins or no endorphins. It gets better, however, since it appears that not only does this endorphin release give us a belly tickling lift and make us literally feel good, but ..... 

"social laughter is correlated with an elevated pain threshold" 

Dunbar et al in The Royal Society Proceedings

A number of experiments have been documented by Dunbar et al in the above paper, in which a measurable level of pain was introduced to the subjects, before and after the introduction of prolonged  and spontaneous laughter  experienced in a group environment, the kind that brings tears to your eyes and chortles to the vocal chords.  The results all showed that the pain thresholds of the whole group were "significantly higher after laughter than in the [initial] control condition".

As a demonstration for the Horizon episode, a group of people were initially subjected to a simple pain test, whereby they were timed crouching uncomfortably with bent knees against a wall, eventually collapsing to the ground. After watching comical laughter inducing entertainment, still in a group setting, they could each tolerate the discomfort of crouching for an increased period of time.

Should we then revise the old adage "no pain, no gain" 
to read "laugh don't cry, then pain will fly"?


What happens when we tickle rats?


6a9309e3.jpg
This photo, sourced from Ishayani and Brecht, is worth general display, irrespective of relevance to this post. After all, how often do you see a rat being tickled and obviously enjoying it? 

The subject of rat tickling, however, was indeed part of the show. It was  introduced by Peter McGraw and we, the viewers, were entertained by a video showing that, when tickled, the lab rats emit a squeaking noise and obviously enjoy the process. Furthermore, the video then showed the controller's hand moving around the enclosure in a 'playful' manner, but without actually touching the rats, and it was obvious that the rats were seeking contact. 

The inference from such rat tickling experiments, which reportedly also involved the insertion of tiny electrodes into the rats' brains, are that "although the evolutionary origins of ticklishness remain unclear" ..... "it may have evolved to encourage play, which in turn teaches social animals how to interact".  Similarly "Children love to be tickled" ..... "that's part of growing up and becoming a full human being".

For those of you who are more scientifically biased, or who are less scientifically challenged than many, the electrodes reportedly showed the firing of neurons in the 'somatosensory cortex', which occurred both during tickling and in anticipation of tickling.

👉 🤣 👈

Here is a special bonus contributed by Sara Jacobovici

http://ken-boddie.squarespace.com

The author of the above, Ken Boddie, besides being a sometime poet and occasional writer, is an enthusiastic photographer, rarely leisure-travelling without his Canon, and loves to interact with other like-minded people with diverse interests.

Ken's three day work week (part time commitment) as a consulting engineer allows him to follow his photography interests, and to plan trips to an ever increasing list of countries and places of scenic beauty and cultural diversity.


"""
#Jimmy Carr #Jimmy #Laughter #Dunbar #Science
Comments

Ken Boddie

4 years ago #31

#41
Just goes to prove, Prav, how easily led astray we mere males are, by a pretty face and a loin cloth. I guess we'll go anywhere for the promise of rumpy pumpy and a bite of a 'big apple' ... even New York! 😂🤣🤗

John Rylance

4 years ago #30

#39
Don't forget the Diddy Men in Knotty Ash. Also his puppet Dickie Mint, who when stolen from Ken's car was put on the missing persons list by the Chief Constable. As Doddie was always saying waving his Tickleling stick"what tickles your fancy misses?"

Ken Boddie

4 years ago #29

#37
I’d quite forgotten Ken Dodd, John Rylance. As a young fella in Scotland, I remember watching him on TV with his tattyfilarious tickling stick, unruly mop of hair and goofy teeth. He certainly made people laugh in a unique sort of way.

John Rylance

4 years ago #28

My tickling stick says it should Did you hear the one about.

John Rylance

4 years ago #27

The late Ken Dodd used to say "You need to exercise your chuckle muscles" I agree it's better to have laughter lines than be po-faced with Crows feet. I'm currently reading Happiness and tears The Ken Dodd Story byLouis Barfe. Here are two of what Barfe describes. As his "non-stop barrage of terrible jokes. Did younger about the shrimp that went to a prawn's cocktail party? He pulled a mussel. And one described as an example of his"surreal whimsical gently rude" joke What a beautiful day for putting your kilt on upside down and shouting "How's that for a shuttlecock.

John Rylance

4 years ago #26

As the late Ken Dodd was prone to say you have to exercise " chuckle muscles ". I always say it's better to have laughter lines than be po-faced with crows feet. Actually I've just been reading Happiness  and Tears The Ken Dodd story by Louis Barfe. Here's one joke from what the Author calls his non-stop barrage of terrible jokes.

Ken Boddie

4 years ago #25

#33
Sorry, but I’ve got no spare ribs, Praveen Raj Gullepalli. Rumour has it that one of my ancestors gave away his only spare rib to a Sheila in some apple orchard way back in Tjukurpa days. Worse than that, the same Sheila was thick as thieves with some old slimey forked tongued snake and got old mate to take a bite from some big fella landlord’s forbidden fruit, presumably on the promise of a bit of rumpy pumpy. Anyway, the bottom line was that old mate and the Sheila got turfed out of their shack, the landlord was thoroughly pissed off, and, because they’d broken their tenancy agreement and had nowhere to go, they ended up sailing to Oz where they became our first illegal immigrants.

Ken Boddie

4 years ago #24

#30
if we didn’t laugh, Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador, we’d cry. It’s the best medicine for everything ... except broken ribs. 😖

Ken Boddie

4 years ago #23

#28
Sounds like your venerable jovialist, Prav, left in a hurry. Perhaps his karma ran over his dogma? 😳

Ken Boddie

4 years ago #22

Interesting comments string below, folks. So many once active, witty and entertaining bees who have gone with the wind of change. 😢

Ken Boddie

6 years ago #21

#25
I can almost hear your laughter from here, Deb, but, although I have no idea about the type of humour conveyed in these presumably TV programmes, which have not, as far as I am aware, crossed over to 'marsupiala', I'll bet anything that they don't show rats being tickled. 🤣

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #20

#23
I bow to the bard of trouble and strife. 😔

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #19

#18
To Rod Loader and his good lady wife ..... When a challenge brings a hazard, Then the risk must be assessed. Are the consequences good or bad? This really is no time for jest. A self harm act will cause me pain, Of that there can be no real doubt, So surely then I must refrain, And hope no lady's tears will spout.

Sara Jacobovici

7 years ago #18

#14
Happy and flattered Ken Boddie!

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #17

#16
Can I then assume, Dean-san, that your 'tomatosensory' cortex is the portion of the somatosensory cortex that is particularly sensitive to being touched by salads? If you disagree then we could always fight it out. Bagpipes or black pudding? 🤣

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #16

#15
No Rod! I'm not going to pour hot coffee over my head while wearing that cool beBee Tshirt so that both you and your wife can laugh at me. ☹️

Dean Owen

7 years ago #15

I hear that women find an especially active tomatosensory cortex an especially endearing trait in a man. Did you know that people actually die from laughter. I found this particular story quite touching. "On 24 March 1975, Alex Mitchell, from King's Lynn, England, died laughing while watching the "Kung Fu Kapers" episode of The Goodies, featuring a kilt-clad Scotsman with his bagpipes battling a master of the Lancastrian martial art "Eckythump", who was armed with a black pudding." (Wikipedia) - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18542377

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #14

#9
Hope you don't mind, Sara, but I've added your baby video to the end of this buzz. 👶 🤣

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #13

#9
I watched your video, Sara, on my own and went from silent chortle to laugh out loud in less than a minute. This video is a great find, Sara, and the babies laughing at dogs which follow it is also hilarious. Thanks for the endorphin transfusion. 🤣

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #12

#7
I hear that beBee's also looking for a CGO, Kev. Any takers?

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #11

#8
So what do you 'life' at Devesh? 🤣

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #10

#6
Thanks for your thoughts, Gert, and of course the joke, which fits into the 'Mismatch of Expectation and Reality' category. This also brings up the concept of miscommunication by accident when we can only really laugh when we are in a remote situation or really know a person well, rather than in a face to face situation, particularly with strangers. I remember the tale of the unfortunate overseas student who arrived in UK and got himself into a number of awkward situations by frequently asking for "hairy twot". After a number of episodes (embarrassing to him but hilarious to others) it transpired he was looking for directions to Herriot Watt University.

Sara Jacobovici

7 years ago #9

I love your style Ken Boddie; you offer a serious buzz on laughter. But seriously, try to keep a straight face when watching this video of babies laughing (3 min.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L49VXZwfup8

Devesh 🐝 Bhatt

7 years ago #8

I just replaced laugh with life and the article is still very interesting.

Kevin Pashuk

7 years ago #7

I was waiting for the punch line Ken... Seriously though, some great questions. Why do we laugh? Why did it evolve so that only one type of shrieking laughter is present in a restaurant when you and your partner are trying to have a semi-romantic evening? In a recent post I wrote on people's use of titles (vs. experience), I made mention of someone calling themselves "Chief Giggles Officer". I wrote that in a mocking tone. I stand corrected. Any of the people on the panel of the television show you referenced likely qualify for that title.

Gert Scholtz

7 years ago #6

Ken Boddie An intriguing post Ken. I think we laugh for a few reasons. As a means of social bonding; where group cohesion was fostered long ago by touch, as groups increased in size verbal grooming and bonding replaced it – language, laughter and song. The other reason is that laughter is a response to unexpected juxtapositions or ideas – we have a certain train of thought or a fixed perspective and laughter is the response to having it changed and altered in an unforeseen way. Mostly we laugh because it feels good – the chemicals released in the body because of it, makes it a self-seeking act. The other side of the question is interesting too: why do we (try to) induce laughter in others? A long list it could be. According to a poll by Prof Richard Wiseman of the UK, here is the joke voted funniest: Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says "Calm down. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says "OK, now what?"

Devesh 🐝 Bhatt

7 years ago #5

#4
well the disagreement may make them intense. Let them have a laugh :)

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #4

#2
The rats might disagree with you, Devesh. 🐀

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #3

#1
For the man who has everything, Pascal ..... a belly button tickling stick. 🤣

Devesh 🐝 Bhatt

7 years ago #2

Pretty intense

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #1

Darwin & Ken Boddie merged into one body, don't make me laugh you will say now you will regret saying this..... because I am going to ask you to tickle his belly.....

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