Do only humans laugh? Will other creatures?

Everyone wants to laugh, but how many people know why? A humorous joke, an interesting thing, is amused ..... even in a tense situation, it will cause bursts of laughter. Then, laugh, laugh, ... What kind of information can laughter convey to us? Is laughter a unique human mentality? If you hear someone laughing, will we join in involuntarily?

Can animals laugh? 19 12 years, the famous British writer joseph addison wrote: "The difference between human beings and other animals is that human beings can laugh." On this point, modern science has another saying.

Provinse believes that no other animal can have a colorful smile like us, because we humans are the only animals that can walk upright on our legs. Animals that walk on all fours must keep pace with their breathing. People's chest can be liberated from this kind of pressure, and talking or laughing does not affect the control of breathing.

If laughter is a "social lubricant", will people living in the same community live in laughter similar to human beings? In fact, loud voices also make sounds, but the sounds are similar to inhaling and exhaling, which is different from people's laughter. Provinse recorded the laughter of chimpanzees and then played it to his students. As a result, most students thought it was the dog's breathing, and some students thought they heard the sound of sawing wood or sanding.

In 20 16, Marina Davila Ross of Portsmouth University and her colleagues conducted an itch experiment, including human babies, orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos. They recorded all kinds of laughter and compared them. The study found that although the sound systems of humans and mites are different, chimpanzees and gorillas closest to humans are the closest to humans. Compared with other kinds of orangutans, they make "laughter". "It is closer to human laughter."

So how do we define "laughter"? Can the sound made when playing be regarded as laughter? Scientists are also divided. Jack Panksepp of Washington State University believes that the definition of "laughter" of animals can be relaxed, and it is not limited by similar patterns as humans. He found through experiments that when it was "examined", the mouse would make an ultrasonic squeak of 50 kHz, which he thought was the "laughter" of the mouse.

Is there a difference between men's and women's smiles? As we all know, the sense of humor of different cultural groups or individuals is often very different. So, is there a difference in sense of humor between men and women? There is no clear statement at present. However, in some cases, the smiles of men and women do show obvious differences. Prowans found that in the process of communication between men and women, men often play the role of laughter. For example, in the communication between young men and women, boys often tease girls with the image of clowns. Provence also found that this pattern is also common among single men and women. Men try to show their humorous side, while women tend to like talking men. Provins believes that the gender difference in "laughter" culture stems from sexual selection in the process of evolution, that is, the courtship behavior of animals.

Another way of saying it is that the difference between men and women's sense of humor is not biological, but influenced by cultural factors. Many studies show that dominant men, from tribal elders to workplace bosses, are usually more able to mobilize the atmosphere and cause laughter than their subordinates. They are good at using laughter as a cohesive force to unite better. And management.

Women often laugh at parties, which only reflects that men are better at making people laugh and controlling the atmosphere in social situations. But some people think that women can control the situation more than men in this respect.

Psychologist Michael Oren of the University of Georgia and his colleagues found that laughter affects each other in two ways. On the one hand, sudden laughter often stimulates others to remain vigilant; On the other hand, people often associate laughter with positive emotions such as kindness and happiness, which is an experience of human beings from childhood to adulthood. Oren pointed out that men and women react differently to laughter. Women tend to be alert when they are unfamiliar with men's laughter, while women's slightly nervous laughter often makes men misunderstand and feel good. .

Is laughter the best medicine in life? People often say that laughter is the best medicine for life. So, are these ridiculous comedy jokes really good for people? Liebeck of the University of California, Loma, thinks this is true.

In order to evaluate the health benefits of laughter, Baker asked 14 volunteers to watch a humorous TV program for 20 minutes, and measured their blood pressure and cholesterol levels before and after watching the program. It was found that the cholesterol level and systolic blood pressure of these volunteers decreased during the "smile exercise". According to Baker's estimation, the physiological benefits of "smiling exercise" are equivalent to 20 minutes of moderate-intensity normal exercise, while watching other boring TV programs will not produce such effects.

The benefits of laughter go far beyond these. Laughter may also help strengthen the immune system and improve anti-infection ability. Some studies show that laughter can produce more antibodies and natural killer cells, thus enhancing the vitality of the human immune system. Mom's laughter can even improve the quality of breast milk and improve the anti-allergic ability of skin more effectively.

These studies show that the saying that "laughing for less than ten years" is scientific. The more you laugh, the longer you live.

Why is laughter "contagious"? Some diseases will spread, and sadness will affect people around you, but these are not as irresistible as laughter. Why is laughter so infectious?

In the experiment, Sophia Scott, a researcher at the University of London, tried to make 20 volunteers laugh, scream, fear or disgust, and gave them some special meanings. Neutral voices also use functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan their brains. The results show that all the sounds that lead to emotional changes will cause the cerebral cortex to respond to some facial muscles, and the subjects' response to laughter is stronger than other negative emotions. Scott believes that this shows that we are born to know and imitate other people's emotions, so when we hear other people's laughter, we are more likely to be "infected" and then laugh.

This can explain how laughter is "contagious", but why is it "contagious"? Scientists haven't reached a conclusion yet. One explanation is that this phenomenon is caused by human evolution. It conveys an obvious message: the interesting battle is not real, but just a play. Some psychologists believe that laughter is a safe signal for the whole group, and it will not make the game a battle. But Scott explained this. She believes that imitating other people's emotional state is conducive to better communication and interaction in social activities. Because one joke and another joke help to express our goodwill attitude and close relationship with others, which can explain laughter. Why is sound more susceptible to "infection"? She said: "Laughter is something that strengthens cohesion.