Pathfinder
“Why do we laugh?”
This pathfinder project is a tool to aid researchers in their studies on the topic of “laugh-ology”, or the study of the science of laughter. Why do we laugh? Often we take for granted the phenomenon that is laughter, and this pathfinder will provide legitimate sources for research on this topic. Students, teachers, or even just curious web surfers will benefit from this guide.
Some warnings must be issued due to the fact that “laughter” is such a broad search term. Sites advertising jokes, comedy, or comics abound on the Internet, and would not be of any help for a project assessing the science of laughter.
A User’s Guide to the Brain by John J. Rately. Published by Pantheon Books in 2001
Brings up theory that laughter originates in the left frontal lobe of the brain, specifically the supplemental motor cortex. Explains the theory and backs up idea with a scientific experiment.
Laughter: A Scientific Investigation by Robert Provine. Published by Viking in 2000.
This book explains people’s reactions to jokes and actions in certain social situations. Provine connects laughter as a social behavior to that of certain animals and assesses the importance of laughter in daily life.
Laughter and the World Around You by Robert Provine. Published by Viking in 2000.
The Marshall Cavendish Encyclopedia of Personal Relationships: Human Behavior, Volume 5: Your Personality and Potential; edited by Dr. Glenn Wilson. Published in 1990 by Marshall Cavendish.
Some online databases that have been particularly helpful in the search for the science of laughter are:
This one was great for finding books that could be ordered from other libraries across the state since Springfield Library doesn’t have an extensive collection on laughter.
“Acoustics of Laughter.” American Institute of Physics. 3 Oct 2001.
<http://www.aip.org/isns/reports/2001/030.html>.
Describes the meaning behind the different sounds of laughter and explains the
reasoning behind there frequencies. The study was done by the American Ins. of
Physics.
Provine, Robert.
“Laughter.” Jan-Feb 1996.
<http://amsci.org/amsci/Articles/96articles/Provine-R.html>.
An in depth report on the meaning behind the sounds of laughter, its significances and its social and vocal implications. The report was done by Dr. Robert Provine, a psychology proffesor at the University of Maryland
Provine, Robert. “A Big Mystery: Why do we Laugh?” MSNBC. 27 May 1999.
<http://www.msnbc.com/news/273621.asp?cpl=1>.
Reports on the history of laughter and its biological inheritance in humans. It
goes on to describe how human laughter develops in a person.
Liston, Conor. “An Interview with Antonio R. Damasio.” The Harvard Brain. Spring 2001. <http://hcs.harvard.edu/~husn/BRAIN/vol8-spring2001/damasio.htm>.
An interview with Neurology professor at the University of Iowa College of
Medicine and Salk Institute for
Biological Studies, and author of book The
Feeling of What Happens with Dr. Antonio Damasio.
McFarling, Usha Lee.
“Laugh all You Want: Scientists take a Crack at Humor.” ISPR
Researcher. 1 Apr 1999. <http://is.berkeley.edu/dept/ipsr/ipsrnews.htm>.
Discusses how laughter could be an inherited function of the brain and how
peoples own sense of humor is pre determined by the right frontal lobe. It also
goes on to explain how there are gender differences in laughter
Ringen, Randy.
“Tickling Rats Brings out Rodent Joy and Childlike Laughter.” Explore
Zone. 23 August 1999.
<http://explorezone.com/columns/future_watch_1999/0823ratlaughter.htm>.
Explains a series of tests done on rats on which signs of laughter from the rats
were noted. The experiment was done by psychobiologists Jack Panksepp and
Jeffrey Burgdorf at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.