The Science of Laughter

In her talk about laughter, Sophie Scott speaks about the neuroscience behind why people laugh. She discusses a variety of scientific topics, from breathing patterns to animal behavior.

The cognitive neuroscientist explains how laughter is associated with tickling, play and social interactions -- especially in conversation with friends. In fact, people are 13 times more likely to laugh if they are with someone else. Often, laughing is not just a response to a joke either; it's showing comprehension, agreement and that you like the person speaking.

The speaker demonstrates laughter is an enormously behavioral effect with social meaning. The talk about laughter differentiates between involuntary and voluntary vocalization and notes people are good at telling the difference between real and posed laughing. The brain even reacts differently to both because people always want to know why others are laughing.