Laughter and comedy are things that we have commonly
discussed and attempted to define over and over again in class. As we have discussed this, we have talked
about the various qualities of both of these, how they relate, and how they are
portrayed in plays or defined in articles.
The basis of laughter is how it makes us feel (or don’t feel according
to Bergson) and our experiences and response toward an external source. This observation is what led us, Pamela and
Rachel, to see the effects it has on us internally. It is commonly said that laughter is healthy
for everyone, but why? What is it about laughter that enhances the quality of
life and how does the affects of laughter on the body relate to the definitions
of laughter that we have begun to develop?
This is the exact type of questions that we asked and are going to
attempt to answer to get a more comprehensive definition of laughter for those
of us that are interested in biology/ chemistry.
Lucky
for us there is a word that defines what we are studying- gelotology, the study
of laughter. The first thing that is to
be noted is that there are various kinds of laughter and each different kind of
laughter involves various network pathways of the brain. The various kinds of laughter includes but are
not limited to a response to joy, response to tickling, a signal of mockery, or
in response to something humorous (Science Daily). The later is what we are going to focus on in
this blog, just to demonstrate what physically happens. The same can be done for all types and incorporated
into one interactive project. This
interactive project could be on an internet site that allows you to click on
various parts of the body and see the affects laughter produces or involve a
color coded scheme which correlates with the network path each type of laughter
takes.
A
common theme of the effects laughter has on us is that it improves our oxygen
levels. This is done by the muscles in
our face and chest that is stretched, the increased breathing rate, and the
increase in pulse. A pioneer in laughter
research, William Fry claimed that it took ten minutes on a rowing machine for
his heart rate to reach the level it would after just one minute of hearty
laughter (WebMD). It also aids our
immune system and improves our ability to fight off infection. It does this by reducing stress hormones
released, and increasing our cells that help fight infection like natural
killer cells, T-cells, and B-cells (How Stuff Works).
The
main aspect we were curious about was what hormones are released? Do these
hormones or pathways hint to the definition of laughter that Bergson
portrayed? From that article, Bergson
mentioned that laughter is void of emotion.
Our project contains the differences that each of these has on the
brain. The main difference is that
emotions are usually limited to one area of the brain, where laughter resonates
throughout. The frontal lobe of your
brain is your emotional response. In
comparison, laughter uses the left side of the cortex to analyze the words and
structure of the comical situation or joke, the right hemisphere of the cortex
to “get” the joke, and sensory processing areas like the occipital lobe (lobe
that interprets visual information)(How Stuff Works). As for the hormones, it is known that
laughter stimulates the release of endorphins, which promotes happiness ( the
same hormone that is associated with “runner’s high”). However, the various hormones that are
released and brain pathways are different depending on which kind of
laughter. For example, nervous laughter
is a result of high stress steroids, cortisol and adrenaline, and a physical
attempt to lower those (Super Consciousness).
I
imagine that many people’s eyes glaze over at this kind of information, but it
is this kind of thing that amazes me, and I believe can give an insight to
laughter that other things cannot. Here
is a cool website that gives a breakdown of what happens to our body when we
laugh.
Works Cited
Berk, Lee S., M.D. "Laughter
Does the Body Good." SuperConsciousness Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web.
14 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.superconsciousness.com/topics/health/interview-dr-lee-s-berk>.
Brain, Marshall. "How Laughter
Works." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 01 Apr. 2000. Web. 14
Apr. 2014. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/laughter1.htm>.
Feature, R. Morgan GriffinWebMD.
"Laughter: Good For Your Health." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 14
Apr. 2014.
<http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/give-your-body-boost-with-laughter>.
"Is Laughter Really the Best
Medicine?" ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, n.d. Web. 14
This is very interesting. I'd like to see if you can find a connection between the biological effects and Bergson's laughter.
ReplyDeleteSince I am a biology major and wanting to enter the field of medicine, I think that this is an awesome idea. I would really enjoy learning about what areas of the brain are affected by the different kinds of stimuli that cause us to laugh and if that laughter has an effect on any of the other areas of our body.
ReplyDeleteI really like this idea of taking an objective approach to what most people consider a subjective experience. The difference in hormones released based on the type of laughter is especially interesting to me. I'd definitely pluck around on an interactive website that explains how different parts of the body are affected in different ways!
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