1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,239 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the two thousand twelve Toyota Cameray. 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind? 3 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: From how Stuff Works dot com. Hey, welcome to Stuff 4 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: to Blow your Mind. My name is Robert Lamp and 5 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,760 Speaker 1: my name is Julie Douglas. We are back in Atlanta 6 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 1: after a little little side trip where we went on 7 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 1: up to Minnesota. Yes, indeed, we presented at the E 8 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 1: four Elementary Education Conference and it was awesome. It was 9 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: It's just infectious energy, a lot of enthusiasm from the 10 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,840 Speaker 1: teachers present all, you know, just really gung ho about science, 11 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 1: about teaching about engineering and mathematics. And we gave our 12 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: spiel about about how we're all scientists just from the 13 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 1: get go, where we crawl out of the wound. Why 14 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: don't guess we don't crawl out of the wound, but 15 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: we're fee a lot more convenient for women if that 16 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: were the case. We're ripped from the womb, with ripped 17 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: a little strong your coherce coerced from the wound, I guess, 18 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,960 Speaker 1: from the womb with math, with engineering and science already 19 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: born into you. And uh we've discussed this in the 20 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:10,679 Speaker 1: podcast and we we shared it with everyone there and 21 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: it's just a grand time. So we may have some 22 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:16,320 Speaker 1: new listeners now who were present at our speech. And 23 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: so if if any of your teachers are tuning in, 24 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: welcome to the podcast. Yeah. And actually I have a 25 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 1: little tidbit that relates not just to the education conference, 26 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: but also to our topic today here about laughter, because 27 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 1: I can help but giggle into her later on when 28 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,400 Speaker 1: I when I remembered us rehearsing our keynote speech in 29 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:44,199 Speaker 1: front of a giant uh Lucy character from Peanuts, giant 30 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: sculpture of her. They were all over the hotel and 31 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 1: we got there the night before, so it's like Sunday 32 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: evening and we we just want to rehearse the material 33 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: a few more times. So what we need an audience, right, 34 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: but not a living audience because they have better things 35 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: to do on a Sunday night. So we found ourselves 36 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: this giant Lucy idle, I guess you would call it, 37 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: and with a giant plate of cake. I think it 38 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 1: had something because we also found a candy store down 39 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: the road that had some Peanuts characters out front with candy, 40 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: so I guess they were related somehow. And looking back, 41 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: just the two of us in front of this giant sculpture, 42 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 1: gesturing to Lucy and giving the keynote just made me laugh. Um. 43 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: But of course, if if I had remembered this, um, this, 44 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 1: this memory with other people with you, turns out I 45 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: would have laughed a lot more. And we'll talk about 46 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,959 Speaker 1: that in a moment. Yeah, we've we've talked about humor before, 47 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: and we talked a little bit about laughter. This episode 48 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 1: is all about the healing power of laughter, which is 49 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: it's become something of a cliche over the past few decades. 50 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: You have, of course, like Patch Adams, you have you 51 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: shaking your head. Ye, Pat Adams, you have Have you 52 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: seen it? I have not, but I have seen Children's 53 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: Hospital the Adult Swim Show where they have a character 54 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: and they're played by Rob Cordrey. He plays Dr Blake Downs, 55 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: who is a healing clown. That the funny part of 56 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: this is that he takes the healing power of laughter 57 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,679 Speaker 1: deadly seriously, like he's he's wearing clown makeup that kind 58 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: of kind of looks like John Lynne Gacy esque, you know, 59 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: like that kind of slightly scary clown makeup, and he's 60 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 1: not really he never does much in the way that 61 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: of actual humor for the sick, Like he's he's just 62 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: very serious about yeah, very intense. Yeah, I could get 63 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:29,519 Speaker 1: behind that, the intense clown. Intense clown. But yeah, like 64 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 1: I say, it's becomes something of a cliche for all 65 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: of us. But you go back to around the nineteen 66 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 1: in the d a guy by the name of Norman Cousins, 67 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: and he was a writer and magazine editor for The 68 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 1: Saturday Review, and he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, 69 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: and at the time that the theory was making the 70 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: rounds that stress could worsen such a condition. So he 71 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: asked himself, well, what about it? What if I use 72 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: the opposite of stress? So he thought about humor. So 73 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: he goes to his doctor and uh, he gets his 74 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: doctor's okay, and then prescribes himself a regime of humorous videos, 75 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: shows like Candid Camera, which was I guess was big 76 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 1: in the seventies at the time. But he's gonna take 77 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: these videos, he's gonna watch them along with his other treatments. 78 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: And the disease went into remission, and Cousins wrote a 79 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: paper for the New England Journal of Medicine as well 80 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,719 Speaker 1: as a book titled Anatomy of an Illness, A Patient's Perspective, 81 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: and I was posted in nine became a best seller, 82 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: and it led to a lot of actual researchers looking 83 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:28,479 Speaker 1: into the matter. Most notably, you had this guy Lee Burke, 84 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: a preventative care specialist from Loma Linda University in Low Melinda, California. 85 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: And then also from Lo Melinda, you had Stanley tan 86 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:40,719 Speaker 1: who was an m D, pH d and a diabetes specialist. 87 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: So they were curious does mirthful laughter helped individuals with diabetes? 88 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 1: And so short version of this as they took a 89 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 1: group of twenty high risk diabetic patients. They had a 90 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,360 Speaker 1: group C, which was control, and they had group L, 91 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: which was laughter. So twelve months later they found significant 92 00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: improvement in group L HDL cholesterol. The good cholesterol had 93 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: risen by in group E, the laughter group, and only 94 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: three percent in groups see the control group. Harmful C 95 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 1: reactive proteins decrease sixty in the laughter group versus in 96 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: the control group. So this is a big study that 97 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 1: actually pushed the idea even more that laughter is maybe 98 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,239 Speaker 1: maybe there's something too laughter, the laughter it can actually 99 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:24,280 Speaker 1: heal us in some way, shape or form. So that's 100 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: what we're talking about in this episode. But we need 101 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: a backtrack a little and say, all right, what is 102 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: laughter before we start prescribing it willy nilly? What's going 103 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 1: on when we laugh? Well, okay, one of the things 104 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:37,119 Speaker 1: I wanted to point out is that you can tell 105 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 1: that it's central and very important to us when you 106 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: look across species and you see that other species do it. 107 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:44,720 Speaker 1: You know, we know that chimps do it. We know 108 00:05:44,839 --> 00:05:48,279 Speaker 1: that if tickled raps will giggle. There's an actual study 109 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: on this, and from a new article on how stuff 110 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:54,840 Speaker 1: works called ten Surprising Behaviors and Non Human Animals by 111 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:59,839 Speaker 1: Kate Kirshner, we know that guerrillas also engage in antiq 112 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 1: um and laughter. In fact, she gives this example of 113 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:06,200 Speaker 1: a gorilla that got his kicks by running beside his 114 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: trainer along the length of his cage at full speed, 115 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: and then the gorilla would suddenly stop and start laughing 116 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:18,159 Speaker 1: uncontrollably as the human kept running past him, And she 117 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,279 Speaker 1: said it was great because the gorilla figured out a 118 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:24,799 Speaker 1: stupid human trick. So chimps, gorilla's rats, they're all laughing 119 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:27,520 Speaker 1: at us. They're all laughing at us. But what happens 120 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,159 Speaker 1: when we are laughing? What's going on in our own bodies? 121 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:31,560 Speaker 1: Because this is great. We can look at the chance 122 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 1: when we can look at rats and we can see 123 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 1: them giggling, But we can of course turn turn the 124 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 1: focus to ourselves and say, you know, just at a 125 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: mechanical level, what's happening to spur on all of these 126 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:45,159 Speaker 1: different chemical changes in our body. Well, the thing about laughter, 127 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 1: like true laughter, like hearty laughter, not just a little 128 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,039 Speaker 1: snicker or or or what have you. But full laughter 129 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:53,440 Speaker 1: is a is it's a full body experience. Like your 130 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: face is moving a lot, your jaws moving, but also 131 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:59,600 Speaker 1: your torso, even your arms and legs, your trunk, muscles, 132 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:04,360 Speaker 1: everything's getting in on the joke. Um fifteen facial muscles contract, 133 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 1: and you also have stimulation of the zygomatic major muscles. 134 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: These are the main lifting mechanisms of your upper lift lip. 135 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 1: And then you also have the respiratory system is getting 136 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 1: in on the action. You have half closing the larnix, 137 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 1: so air intake occurs at regularly, making you gasp. And 138 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 1: in extreme circumstances, what happens something is just extremely funny. 139 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: You start crying. With laughter. Yeah, yeah, and you might 140 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: you might pee a little. I've heard about this. Yeah, well, 141 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: I think on Dirty rock Wislam and calls it lizing, 142 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: where if you you laugh so hard that you start 143 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: peeing yourself. I have you you ever done this? Have 144 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: you ever laughed so hard that you really? And I 145 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 1: would admit to it even though I because you know, 146 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 1: I have no problem with that, But no, have not. 147 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: My wife sometimes will be watching something and she'll she'll 148 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:53,040 Speaker 1: warn that that she's about to pee herself if if 149 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:55,920 Speaker 1: she laughs any harder or more. If I was to say, say, 150 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 1: like come over and tickler while she was laughing, then 151 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: she might pee. That's that's the warning. I don't know, 152 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: maybe a false threat. I've never pushed, pushed, pushed around 153 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:06,800 Speaker 1: that one. I have made friends do it, though, and 154 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 1: they'll be like sap, and I can't help myself. Can 155 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: they start crossing their legs and just go in for 156 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: the kill? Um? But yeah, I mean that's extreme circumstances 157 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: for sure. Um. Also, your mouth is opening and closing 158 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: and so there's still that struggle for oxygen, and of 159 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:27,040 Speaker 1: course your face becomes moist and you know, flushed. Yeah, 160 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: I mean it's a great feeling. Like I watched a 161 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: lot of humorous content. I imagine you do as well. 162 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 1: You like funny things. Correct, yes, it's true, but I 163 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:39,679 Speaker 1: still find it's rare that I watched something where it 164 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: just completely overtakes me, where it's like you're you're possessed 165 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: by a demon for a good minute or two and 166 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:48,160 Speaker 1: it's just you just can't control yourself. And it's it's 167 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: overstatement the obvious here, but it's a wonderful feeling because 168 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 1: it's it's like you're no longer in control of your 169 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: body or your senses in the most delightful way possible. 170 00:08:57,640 --> 00:08:59,560 Speaker 1: It is great. And it's kind of funny too, because 171 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:03,839 Speaker 1: you're psychologically when you're watching something like that, you start 172 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:06,440 Speaker 1: to feel that rise and you're like, yeah, it's like 173 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,720 Speaker 1: a roller coaster. It's like I'm writing something a wave 174 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 1: and I'm not completely in control, but I'm loving it. So, Okay, 175 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 1: let's break down the actual sonic structure of what a 176 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:18,840 Speaker 1: laugh sounds like. And before we do it, let's listen 177 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 1: to a clip of what I think is a great, 178 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:38,200 Speaker 1: full bodied laugh. Well, that's that's a full body laugh. 179 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:40,760 Speaker 1: In the actual video of the YouTube, the individual's laughing 180 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 1: really hard, and he's kind of an older gentleman to 181 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: the point where you're got a bunch of beer bottles 182 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,400 Speaker 1: behind them. Yeah, but you're a little concern You're like, whoa, 183 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 1: you're laughing a little hard, Grandpa, you need to slow 184 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:53,719 Speaker 1: it down. But it's just I love it because it's 185 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 1: such a joyful laugh and it's just um, the structure 186 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,000 Speaker 1: of it just builds in. You can just tell that 187 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: this guy is having so much fun, and it really 188 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:06,320 Speaker 1: is infectious. In fact, I think if you watch it, 189 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:08,719 Speaker 1: you probably are a little bit more invested in it 190 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: that rather than just hearing it. But even just hearing it, 191 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:12,960 Speaker 1: you can't help but smile to yourself a little bit. 192 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 1: So let's talk about the sonic structure laughter. Researcher Robert 193 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:20,960 Speaker 1: Provine discovered that all human laughter consists of variations on 194 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:25,079 Speaker 1: a basic form that consists of short vowel like notes repeated. 195 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: What he says is every two and ten milliseconds. So 196 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: I didn't time it in that clip. The first part 197 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: of that, though, was the expert weigh in and said, 198 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:35,640 Speaker 1: when we laugh, we tend to go ha ha or 199 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:37,520 Speaker 1: ho ho. That's right. He said, there's one of two. 200 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:39,960 Speaker 1: It's either ha ha ha or I'm glad we have 201 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 1: scientists on these things. I know, I wonder if that 202 00:10:42,559 --> 00:10:45,080 Speaker 1: was an ig noble and think that clip that we 203 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:48,599 Speaker 1: played is definitely representative of the more like ha ha ha. 204 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:52,960 Speaker 1: But vrty or do is that? Is that a myth 205 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: at I've never really heard, unless like they were intentionally saying, yeah, 206 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:00,840 Speaker 1: you know, I guess it's or like a wood sprite 207 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:02,719 Speaker 1: kind of a thing. Yeah, I know. I don't think 208 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 1: it's something that would come natural to you when you're laughing, 209 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:07,680 Speaker 1: like full on body laughing. Yeah, because full on body 210 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:10,200 Speaker 1: laughing it, I mean it reaches the point of borderline 211 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 1: disgusting at times like where I feel like he he 212 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:16,280 Speaker 1: is maybe a more of a social laughter, which we'll 213 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:18,240 Speaker 1: get into it a little bit, but more of a 214 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 1: look at me, I am laughing and I am a 215 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,120 Speaker 1: wood sprite, as opposed to I'm laughing so hard that 216 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:28,559 Speaker 1: urine is flooding through my pants my face. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 217 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 1: Provine also suggests that humans have a detector that responds 218 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:34,800 Speaker 1: to laughter by triggering other neural circuits in the brain, 219 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:38,040 Speaker 1: which in turn generates even more laughter. And that's just 220 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:40,959 Speaker 1: one explanation for why laughter is contagious. We'll talk a 221 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 1: little bit more about that, But here's the question, why 222 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:47,800 Speaker 1: why do we laugh in the first place? I even 223 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:50,480 Speaker 1: do it? Well, this is a valid question. We've touched 224 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:52,200 Speaker 1: on this a little bit when we've discussed humor in 225 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: the past, because on a very basic level, you can 226 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:59,839 Speaker 1: say that laughter is a response to humor or about 227 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:02,440 Speaker 1: the then that that's a tricky answer too, because then 228 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:04,120 Speaker 1: you then you get into the question what is humor? 229 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:07,080 Speaker 1: What makes something humorous? One thing that we've discussed in 230 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 1: the past is the is the benign violation theory? Just 231 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: a quick run through this, this is the idea that 232 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: you encounter, oh back on the primordial wilds, or when 233 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:19,440 Speaker 1: you go to a haunted house, haunted attraction in the 234 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:23,320 Speaker 1: modern day, you're something jumps out at you, scares the 235 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:26,199 Speaker 1: living daylights out of you, and for a second you 236 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:29,240 Speaker 1: think you're gonna die. Then you realize you're not because 237 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:31,440 Speaker 1: it wasn't a saber tooth tiger. It was your cousin 238 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: ug uh decided to have some fun with you. Or 239 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:37,160 Speaker 1: it was just some dude, Yeah, cousin ug he said, 240 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: he's quite the trickster. Or it's or it's some some 241 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 1: person in a Google mask at the haunted attraction. You 242 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: realize you're not going to die, and the body's response 243 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 1: then is to laugh, which arguably and then, according to 244 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:51,840 Speaker 1: this theory, is then a queue, a social queue to 245 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:54,319 Speaker 1: those around you just say we are not actually going 246 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: to die. Please disregard that blood curdling scream that I 247 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:00,959 Speaker 1: issued earlier. Yeah, and I think it's interesting that that 248 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 1: the basis of this is really stress, right, because it 249 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:07,359 Speaker 1: is a release, and you talked about the social implications 250 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: of it. Um. Some people say that laughter may even 251 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:13,640 Speaker 1: serve as a conciliatory gesture at times when things get 252 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:18,080 Speaker 1: very stressful. Yes, um, that there's a way to deflect anger. 253 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:21,080 Speaker 1: It's interesting. I found a two thousand and ten North 254 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:24,280 Speaker 1: Carolina State University study that looked at the role laughter 255 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:28,560 Speaker 1: plays injury the liberation. And in fact, the case they 256 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: study was a capital murder case, so it was it 257 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: wasn't like they just they decided, oh, it's like a 258 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 1: grandma was arrested for jaywalking and you know, or something 259 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:39,360 Speaker 1: more mundane. It was a life and death scenario. And 260 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:44,319 Speaker 1: they made some interesting observations about how humor among the jurors. 261 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: It helped her to release the tension, and it also 262 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,560 Speaker 1: allowed them to acknowledge when they made errors and then 263 00:13:49,559 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 1: they could correct them because you know, if you just 264 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:55,200 Speaker 1: sort of laugh off your mistakes, which as we've all 265 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 1: I hope we've all encountered that. You know, when when 266 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 1: something it gets a little stressful at work, maybe you 267 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:03,079 Speaker 1: screwed something up. You can stick to your guns and 268 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: let your ego command it and refuse to back down, 269 00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 1: or you can sort of laugh it off and everyone forgets. 270 00:14:09,559 --> 00:14:12,839 Speaker 1: Like whenever I pronounced Michael Carton as Michael Creton, just 271 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:16,559 Speaker 1: laugh at me, do I? You kind of do? It's 272 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,440 Speaker 1: a laugh Mark. I appreciate it because then I'm like, God, 273 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:22,480 Speaker 1: there goes that tick again. Um. But yeah, I mean, 274 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: laughter occurs when people are comfortable with one another. We've 275 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 1: found this out and cultural anthropologist my head Dave opt 276 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,480 Speaker 1: says that, um, you know, when you feel open and 277 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:35,640 Speaker 1: free and comfortable, the more you laugh, the more you laugh, 278 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,400 Speaker 1: the more you bond within a group. And this is 279 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 1: really important because there's this other desire to not be 280 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 1: outside of the group, and so you want to participate 281 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: and laugh. And we've talked about this before. Within this 282 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:53,000 Speaker 1: social contract that we're always signing. Um that where we 283 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 1: are kind of hardwired to cooperate with one another anyway 284 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,040 Speaker 1: because it's to our benefit. So what happens is you 285 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 1: have a feed, a loop of bonding and laughing going on. Well, 286 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:06,400 Speaker 1: it's interesting you mentioned individuals on the outside because you 287 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 1: also get into that that idea when you look at 288 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:12,120 Speaker 1: the theory of what humor is and how it works, 289 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 1: the idea that all laughter then has to do with Well, 290 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: put it this way, with any given joke, you could 291 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 1: argue that you're either on the inside or on the 292 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:23,360 Speaker 1: outside of that joke. Which side are you standing on? 293 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:25,320 Speaker 1: Are you on the side holding the hose on the 294 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: side getting hose down by the humor? Uh? And then 295 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 1: you can argue that the humor is about maintaining that 296 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:37,240 Speaker 1: barrier between self and otherness, between normal and strange. Um. 297 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:39,000 Speaker 1: I mean, you can really run wild with it. I 298 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 1: was having a conversation with my friend Matt the other day, 299 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:43,880 Speaker 1: and he was he was making the argument that all 300 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:48,320 Speaker 1: racial humor is intrinsically racist. I don't know, I leave 301 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 1: that to everyone else to think about. But but but, 302 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:54,720 Speaker 1: but certainly you get into some some tricky moral areas. 303 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,480 Speaker 1: But it's why you see comedian after comedian getting the 304 00:15:57,480 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 1: hot water, because they end up joking about a topic 305 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:02,440 Speaker 1: that some else takes too seriously. Because there's a certain 306 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: amount there is a certain amount of meanness to do 307 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 1: a lot, if not most humor. You know, I thought 308 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,240 Speaker 1: about that with Peter Segel because I was listening to him. 309 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:12,080 Speaker 1: I'm wait, wait, don't tell me the other day. Yes, 310 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:17,760 Speaker 1: a cruel he's not. He's not cruel, but he's very 311 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:20,320 Speaker 1: funny most of the time. But this guy will just 312 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,280 Speaker 1: he'll just kind of throw whatever out there sometimes, and 313 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: I admire that because it doesn't always stick. And I 314 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:31,320 Speaker 1: have actually heard the audience boo him before, Yeah, because 315 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 1: he didn't play with the audience. The audience was a 316 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,560 Speaker 1: little bit offended. So anyways, it is interesting to see 317 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: that kind of dynamic can play. Yeah, take Louisa k 318 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 1: for instance. I mean, Louisa k Will does not seem 319 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: really to have much of a filter, but he approaches 320 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 1: it from a certain point of honesty. So he'll say 321 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 1: something that's really offensive or really gross, but he approaches 322 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:52,560 Speaker 1: it in such an honesty where he's where he kind 323 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 1: of says, this is what humor is, and I'm trying 324 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: to make sense of it as well as you guys are. 325 00:16:57,560 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 1: So you know, I have to say that in season 326 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:03,080 Speaker 1: two of Louis that I nearly stopped watching because one 327 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 1: of his bits to stand up bits was so offensive 328 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,720 Speaker 1: and it's really really hard to offend me. And I 329 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:10,560 Speaker 1: was like, oh no, I can't get back on this, 330 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:14,080 Speaker 1: but thankfully I did because it is a great show. 331 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:17,520 Speaker 1: But back to to uh, laughter and what's going on 332 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:20,960 Speaker 1: with the group dynamic. The researcher Robert Provine, who we mentioned, 333 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:24,119 Speaker 1: also found that laughter is thirty times more frequent in 334 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 1: groups compared to private settings. So again there's this idea 335 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:31,160 Speaker 1: that that's the feedback loop in place, and that's why 336 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:34,639 Speaker 1: there's a huge difference between watching a comedy by yourself 337 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 1: in the quiet living room, watching it with a loved 338 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 1: one or a small group of friends, versus watching it 339 00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:45,160 Speaker 1: in amidst an audience that's like super into the movie 340 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:47,720 Speaker 1: or the improv show or what happened. And this is 341 00:17:47,760 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 1: from our article how laughter Works. The studies have also 342 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,760 Speaker 1: found that dominant individuals, the boss, the tribal chief, or 343 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:58,360 Speaker 1: the family family patriarch used humor more than their subordinates. 344 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:00,880 Speaker 1: And that's where we get into some interesting social area 345 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:04,600 Speaker 1: as well, because zero psychological and behavioral studies revealed that 346 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:08,080 Speaker 1: laughter can be more than just a spontaneous response to stimula. Obviously, 347 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 1: it's not just a matter of tiger jumped out at 348 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:13,600 Speaker 1: me and I didn't die. But about two million years 349 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:17,800 Speaker 1: ago we started developing willful control over our facial motor systems. 350 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:20,159 Speaker 1: So you can almost think of this as kind of 351 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 1: a birth of deception and a birth of lies. That 352 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:24,399 Speaker 1: was kind of a Garden of Eden moment because and 353 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 1: certainly is micro expressions reveal and you know not everyone's 354 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 1: a great liar, and you can often tell the difference 355 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:32,680 Speaker 1: between fake laughter and real laughter. And the example that 356 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:34,560 Speaker 1: comes to mind is your boss makes a joke, what 357 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,520 Speaker 1: do you do? You laugh at that joke. That's even 358 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:39,440 Speaker 1: if your boss is a great guy. And maybe even 359 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:42,359 Speaker 1: if even if your boss is actually funny, our boss 360 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:45,000 Speaker 1: is actually funny. Is pretty larious, it's pretty hilarious. But 361 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:48,679 Speaker 1: I still find myself falling into fake laughter sometimes, and 362 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:50,679 Speaker 1: hopefully I'm pretty good at it and no one's noticed it, 363 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:54,400 Speaker 1: but we still find ourselves knowing when to laugh sometimes. 364 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:56,680 Speaker 1: When I found myself doing this at the teacher's conference 365 00:18:56,760 --> 00:18:58,639 Speaker 1: because I'm suddenly interacting with a lot of people that 366 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:03,600 Speaker 1: I haven't interacted before, be it teachers or discovery personnel 367 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,359 Speaker 1: that we're there with us, and I find myself falling 368 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:10,119 Speaker 1: into the pattern of using a little fake laughter sprinkled 369 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 1: in my conversation, you know, and just you know, smiling 370 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:15,560 Speaker 1: and kind of laughing a little bit as part of 371 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:19,520 Speaker 1: the way that I'm communicating with them. That's interesting because 372 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:22,399 Speaker 1: some I read that UM in order to try to 373 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,600 Speaker 1: gain control social control over a situation that the people 374 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:28,640 Speaker 1: who are trying to gain social control over it tend 375 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:32,639 Speaker 1: to laugh more than the person who is listening. So 376 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:35,720 Speaker 1: you know, it's a way to engage people, right and 377 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:39,720 Speaker 1: to get people to pay attention UM using laughter. And 378 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:41,720 Speaker 1: as you as you had pointed out, this part of 379 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:45,359 Speaker 1: the brain is actually called the pre motor cortical region, 380 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:48,960 Speaker 1: and this is the reason that's activated, and it is 381 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:50,800 Speaker 1: the part of the brain that is standing at the 382 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:54,960 Speaker 1: ready and listening to conversations and lighting up just before 383 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:59,159 Speaker 1: it begins to contort your your facial muscles to react 384 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:02,000 Speaker 1: to this situation. And of course we always have to 385 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:04,840 Speaker 1: bring up mirror neurons. When it comes to this kind 386 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 1: of stuff. Stephen Small, who is a professor in neurology 387 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:13,040 Speaker 1: and psychology, argues that the contagious nature of laughter is 388 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:16,119 Speaker 1: caused by mirror neurons, or he says, brain cells that 389 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: become active when an organism is watching an expression or 390 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:24,439 Speaker 1: behavior that they themselves can perform. And we've seen this 391 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,280 Speaker 1: again and again and again. Um, so it's no surprise 392 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:30,440 Speaker 1: there that when you're watching another person laughing, you begin 393 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:32,879 Speaker 1: to mimic that that you actually have those neurons in 394 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:37,159 Speaker 1: your brains that are saying, hey, laugh now it's funny. Yes, well, 395 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 1: which comes right back around to the idea of laughter yoga, 396 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:43,560 Speaker 1: which I know you hate. I don't know that I hate. 397 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,439 Speaker 1: And let me let me say I have never taken, well, 398 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 1: I've never meant to take a laughter yoga class, but 399 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 1: some yoga instructor yeah yeah, uh, you know. I think 400 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:56,919 Speaker 1: for me, I was there for yoga, not for laughing. 401 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:59,199 Speaker 1: So perhaps I just wasn't in the right mindset. But 402 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 1: I hate the idea of it. Yea. Just to explain 403 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:05,480 Speaker 1: this to anyone who hasn't had any actual experience with 404 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:09,840 Speaker 1: laughter yoga, this involves you being in a yoga classroom 405 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,880 Speaker 1: and the yoga instructor who's leading you in various physical 406 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:18,919 Speaker 1: activities will also lead you in about of basically fake laughter, 407 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: where you the teacher will start going off and everyone 408 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: else has to join in with lots of fake laughter. 409 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:29,040 Speaker 1: But what you're in opposed by the way. Sometimes I've 410 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:31,359 Speaker 1: order to involve sort of hand gestures, Like there's one 411 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:34,240 Speaker 1: that we do in my yoga class called the laughter milkshake. 412 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:36,560 Speaker 1: We have like a pretend milkshake and you move it 413 00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:38,080 Speaker 1: from one mug to the other and then you pour 414 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:41,800 Speaker 1: it on your head and then you laugh really hard. Um, 415 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 1: And it's it always ends with legitimate laughter, at least 416 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:47,280 Speaker 1: from me and people I noticed in the room. It 417 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:49,680 Speaker 1: starts fake and then it becomes contained aus it, it 418 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:52,120 Speaker 1: becomes authentic. It's true. It's one of the things was 419 00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:54,040 Speaker 1: the whole fake it till you make it and you 420 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:57,800 Speaker 1: become right. So if you laugh, even when you're faking it, 421 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: we're going to actually start to laugh. Sometimes I'm out 422 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:03,439 Speaker 1: throwing a little sardonic laughter, you know. Well that's what 423 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 1: I did to try to counter it because it was 424 00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:10,840 Speaker 1: driving me crazy. So I was like, but that's interesting. 425 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 1: The sardonic laughter is another interesting thing to bring up 426 00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:16,000 Speaker 1: because what I don't know that anyone actually does it. 427 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,520 Speaker 1: I have I guess I'm just not around like severely 428 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:23,119 Speaker 1: evil individuals. But if it exists legitimately and not just 429 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,120 Speaker 1: in movies, and I don't know that anyone's ever actually 430 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:28,640 Speaker 1: uh looked into this. If we have any evil listeners 431 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:30,919 Speaker 1: out there, maybe they can tell us. But if it exists, 432 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: then it's an example of this social hijacking of the 433 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: left of the use of laughter to where we're faking it. 434 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:40,439 Speaker 1: I guess too belittle someone or we're just unhinged. I 435 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:43,720 Speaker 1: guess is the whole deal that you find humor in 436 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:46,639 Speaker 1: things that are not humorous, like taking over the world 437 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:49,920 Speaker 1: or or creating a robot guerilla hybrid that will help 438 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:52,320 Speaker 1: you take over the world. It was just my way 439 00:22:52,359 --> 00:22:54,399 Speaker 1: of saying, like, hey, I didn't sign up for the 440 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:59,080 Speaker 1: left class. I signed up for the regular, regular yoga class. 441 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:01,880 Speaker 1: But what does all all of this laughing due to us? 442 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:05,640 Speaker 1: What what are the actual physical effects and the benefits, 443 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:08,120 Speaker 1: so the healing power of laughter. We We've talked about 444 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:10,920 Speaker 1: a lot about what what laughter is and some of 445 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:12,960 Speaker 1: the things that going in the human body. So to 446 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:15,720 Speaker 1: what extent can it actually heal us? Well? Okay, um, 447 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 1: let's talk about what is happening at the physical level, right, 448 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:21,160 Speaker 1: because let's just lay this groundwork so we can see 449 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:23,360 Speaker 1: if there's a possibility that it could have some sort 450 00:23:23,359 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 1: of long term healing effects. When we laugh, our bodies 451 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,880 Speaker 1: respond really positively. There is a decrease in stress hormones 452 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: of cortisol, adrenaline, and dopac, and an increased in beta 453 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:39,840 Speaker 1: endorphins which lower feelings of depression, and then human growth 454 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:44,800 Speaker 1: hormone UM also which helps protect us against disease and infection. 455 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:48,639 Speaker 1: So it's not just the act of laughter that changes 456 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:52,440 Speaker 1: our body's chemistry, because you know, even the mirror anticipation 457 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:56,680 Speaker 1: of laughing does this too. So if you see, um 458 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 1: a funny movie, or rather if you're on your way 459 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:02,920 Speaker 1: to see a funny movie, you're already primed. Your body 460 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 1: is ready to go ahead and release those feel good endorphins. 461 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:09,440 Speaker 1: Just on a physical level, of course, you're the repeated 462 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:13,080 Speaker 1: forceful exhalations of breath, it occur. Uh, They really give 463 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:15,159 Speaker 1: your give your lungs of workout, gives your the muscles 464 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:18,200 Speaker 1: of your diaphragm, will workout. So there's a lot of 465 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 1: a lot of breathing and h and chest movements going on. 466 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 1: Um and laughter also prompts our bodies to produce more 467 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,200 Speaker 1: T cells and globulins. And this is where it becomes 468 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:30,960 Speaker 1: very important to our immune system because what they found 469 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:35,320 Speaker 1: is that higher levels of an antibody called salivary immenium 470 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:38,280 Speaker 1: globulin A when you laugh, this is released and that 471 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:42,119 Speaker 1: is what fights infectious organisms entering into the respiratory tract. 472 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 1: So that is what they found in the saliva of people, 473 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:49,480 Speaker 1: this increase of this antibody for people who watched humorous videos. 474 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:53,240 Speaker 1: And the idea is that the benefits of this could 475 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:57,399 Speaker 1: actually be linked to longevity because people who report a 476 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,800 Speaker 1: general feeling of happiness and of course laughter would help 477 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:04,920 Speaker 1: with that, tend to be healthier overall, live longer rather 478 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:08,000 Speaker 1: than unhappy people. And there's a two thousand eleven study 479 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:12,360 Speaker 1: that says that three out of a people aged fifty 480 00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 1: two to seventy five, they found that those who rated 481 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:19,840 Speaker 1: their happiness higher were significantly less likely to die in 482 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: the following five years. Uh So you know, there you go, 483 00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 1: is this is another reason to laugh. There's a great 484 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,520 Speaker 1: study that we ran across in researching. There's a two 485 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 1: thousand twelve Oxford University study You're not in your head? Yes, okay, 486 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:35,439 Speaker 1: you're not laughing. I laughed when I read this one 487 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:38,520 Speaker 1: because basically this is what it consisted of. They had 488 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:43,119 Speaker 1: subjects watch videos, either funny ones or dry documentaries, and 489 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:46,280 Speaker 1: then they were also tortured, which is to say they 490 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:50,119 Speaker 1: were they put their wrists arms inside blood pressure cuffs 491 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:53,680 Speaker 1: or frozen cooling sleeves. Yeah, we should say why they 492 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:56,960 Speaker 1: did this because because you had mentioned the what is 493 00:25:57,040 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 1: happening physically like your you know, with your abdomen and 494 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,120 Speaker 1: the amount of the air that you're inhaling exhaling, they 495 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:06,000 Speaker 1: wanted to know if if laughing could be considered actual exercise. 496 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,800 Speaker 1: And we know that when we exercise were we release 497 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:13,200 Speaker 1: endorphins which helped to manage pain. Right, so you need 498 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:16,000 Speaker 1: to inject a little pain into the scenario to see 499 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,840 Speaker 1: if the laughter is actually helping with it. And sure enough, 500 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,359 Speaker 1: in the experiments, pain thresholds did go up after people 501 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:25,280 Speaker 1: watch the funny videos, but not after they viewed the 502 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:29,480 Speaker 1: factual documentaries. So and belly laughter was also the key here, 503 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:31,920 Speaker 1: like full blown not just snickering a little, but ken 504 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:35,360 Speaker 1: burns hair. Uh, you're watching a documentary, but actual full 505 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:38,520 Speaker 1: bodied laughter, like if you're watching airplane or something. Yeah, 506 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,000 Speaker 1: that's right. They were looking at the amount of contractions 507 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:45,040 Speaker 1: of their bellies were doing, which reminds me. It brings 508 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 1: me back to Burdo Eco's Name of the Rose, because 509 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:49,560 Speaker 1: a lot of that book and in the movie, which 510 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,119 Speaker 1: is also quite good, uh deals with the nature of 511 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,199 Speaker 1: laughter and what the what the church's view on laughter is. 512 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,600 Speaker 1: And Brother William in the book brings up an example 513 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: of a saint uh Well who supposedly used laughter, employed 514 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:05,120 Speaker 1: laughter want being tortured and tricked one of his tortures 515 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:08,360 Speaker 1: and just dipping his hand into the boiling water that 516 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:11,040 Speaker 1: he was immersed in. It made me think it's like, oh, well, 517 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:12,679 Speaker 1: if you had a sit maybe that's the way you 518 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:16,800 Speaker 1: could to a certain extent but not really counteract torturous 519 00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:18,920 Speaker 1: pain by just going into it with a sense of humor, 520 00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:22,439 Speaker 1: just tickling people instead of torturing them. No, no, no, 521 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:24,840 Speaker 1: I'm saying that while being tortured, if you found enough 522 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 1: humor in the scenario, could you know, I guess you 523 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:30,359 Speaker 1: could conceivably reduce the level of pain. You could up 524 00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:35,320 Speaker 1: your pains, right, I wouldn't actually work, but I can't 525 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 1: help but go there with my mind. And you can't 526 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:41,359 Speaker 1: self tickle, right, that's a problem. Yeah, I just I 527 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:44,000 Speaker 1: think David Eagleman was just talking about that on Twitter. Yeah. Yeah. 528 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:46,680 Speaker 1: It has to do with it like anticipation. And if 529 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 1: you find someone who can self tickle, they are faking 530 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:53,520 Speaker 1: it totally. Yeah, right, and they're weird for its probably 531 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:56,840 Speaker 1: a whole movement of self ticklers out there. Um. So 532 00:27:57,720 --> 00:27:59,800 Speaker 1: here's this idea that came out of that studied though, 533 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:04,000 Speaker 1: is that exercise and laughter could have the same benefits, right, 534 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 1: this this rise and endorphins. So then it became well, okay, 535 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 1: if we know from laughing that laughing is increased in 536 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:19,720 Speaker 1: a group situation, could endorphins be increased in an exercise situation. 537 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:21,760 Speaker 1: So I think it's interesting how they took one data 538 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:25,560 Speaker 1: set and tried to apply it to that to the other. Um. 539 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:27,920 Speaker 1: I think it was a two thousand and nine study. Yeah, 540 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:30,480 Speaker 1: it was two thousand nine study that Dunbar, same guy 541 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:33,520 Speaker 1: um from the Laughing Experiment and his colleagues studied a 542 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:36,800 Speaker 1: group of elite Oxford rowers asking them to work out 543 00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:40,120 Speaker 1: either on an isolated rowing machine separated from one another 544 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 1: in a gym, or on a machine that simulated full 545 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:46,360 Speaker 1: synchronized crew rowing um and in that case, the rowers 546 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: were exerting themselves in synchrony as a united group. And 547 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:54,640 Speaker 1: after they exercised together, the rowers pain thresholds and presumably 548 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:58,520 Speaker 1: their endorphin levels right um were significantly higher than they 549 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:01,400 Speaker 1: had been at the start, but also higher than when 550 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:05,400 Speaker 1: they rode alone. So even just thinking that you are 551 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:09,760 Speaker 1: participating in this group activity apparently helped in terms of 552 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:13,920 Speaker 1: the release of endorphins, which is very interesting, which which 553 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: brings back to the idea of going to a group 554 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,840 Speaker 1: exercise class such as a group yoga class, but where 555 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 1: then you then also engage in group laughing. Right, I'm 556 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:24,520 Speaker 1: gonna saying, of course all roads leave to lead to 557 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:26,960 Speaker 1: laugh for yoga in this case, because that is the 558 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:30,800 Speaker 1: culmination of what we've described here. Yeah, the universe is saying, 559 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:34,840 Speaker 1: Julie Douglas, give this universe is not talking to me, 560 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:38,600 Speaker 1: and if it is, I'm insane. Another quick study that 561 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:41,920 Speaker 1: I found was the one from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, 562 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:44,800 Speaker 1: and they found that patients use laughter to communicate emotionally 563 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 1: with their psychotherapists, like using a lot like an exclamation 564 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,360 Speaker 1: point at the end of a sentence, and that laughing 565 00:29:51,360 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 1: together also helped seal the bond. So I found that 566 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:56,440 Speaker 1: interesting as well in terms of not only physical healing, 567 00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:59,320 Speaker 1: but emotional healing. Laughter ends up playing a role in 568 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:02,640 Speaker 1: therapy session, which uh a few times that I've I've 569 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,360 Speaker 1: seen a therapist. I mean, I do remember laughing a little, 570 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:08,600 Speaker 1: partially because I ended up accidentally going to a children's 571 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:10,600 Speaker 1: therapist and there was a sandbox full of toys in 572 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 1: the room. She was great, but there was a sandbox 573 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:16,000 Speaker 1: full of toys. She have a clown news on. No, 574 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:21,200 Speaker 1: thank God, just have to check all right, well, before 575 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: we go to our mail should we just listen to 576 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:26,320 Speaker 1: that clip one more? Yeah, play the laugh one time, 577 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:29,000 Speaker 1: and I actually I encourage everyone to laugh. Try laughing 578 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:31,560 Speaker 1: with this man. Laugh aloud. If you're in the car, 579 00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:35,280 Speaker 1: you're out running, cycling, if you're alone in the truck, whatever, 580 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: if you're on mass transit, for sure, yes, to start laughing, 581 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:58,600 Speaker 1: laugh with this man. All right, here we go, Yeah, 582 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:01,840 Speaker 1: good stuff. What do we have in the mail bag? Yes, 583 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:04,040 Speaker 1: let me grab the mail, Uh, the robot will be 584 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:09,000 Speaker 1: kind enough to bring it over all right, here's one 585 00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:12,000 Speaker 1: from our listener Murphy Murphy Rights, and it says, Aloha, 586 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 1: Robert and Julie. I just finished the podcast about the 587 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:19,440 Speaker 1: Ordovician period. Blew my mind, naturally, but I am here 588 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:21,840 Speaker 1: to talk about the listener mail at the end. About maps. 589 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:24,720 Speaker 1: One day, I was at a family friend's house when 590 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:27,240 Speaker 1: I saw a poster of a map that looked like this, 591 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:30,520 Speaker 1: and she included this image. And it's a It's basically 592 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:35,120 Speaker 1: the map of the world as we typically see it inverted, Okay, 593 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:37,960 Speaker 1: It's a map of the world, only upside down from 594 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,920 Speaker 1: its traditional orientation. It got me thinking about how arbitrary 595 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:43,800 Speaker 1: north and south were, and how easily our Earth could 596 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:47,280 Speaker 1: have eastern and western snowcaps and orbited around the Sun 597 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:50,000 Speaker 1: vertically rather than horizontally. It's all about the map maker's 598 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:53,080 Speaker 1: perspective and whatever sticks. On the topic of science fiction 599 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:56,320 Speaker 1: and mapps. I also came across this map. Somebody on 600 00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:58,960 Speaker 1: the Internet mapped out the location of all the Star 601 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:01,440 Speaker 1: Wars planet's ever man in the films, games, novels, and 602 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:04,360 Speaker 1: comic books. I think they call that the extended universe. 603 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:06,480 Speaker 1: There are quite a lot of them, just thought you 604 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:08,760 Speaker 1: would appreciate that. And she also included this map, which 605 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:11,959 Speaker 1: is really awesome includes all of these star systems and 606 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,680 Speaker 1: so forth. So, yeah, that's one of the things we 607 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:17,480 Speaker 1: talked about in that episode, the creation of maps that 608 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:20,200 Speaker 1: thought all the details of our fantasy settings as well 609 00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:24,240 Speaker 1: as the bias of our maps regarding the world as 610 00:32:24,280 --> 00:32:26,400 Speaker 1: it is or the world as we experience it, and 611 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:29,080 Speaker 1: its effects on how we experience it. Because again, you 612 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:31,040 Speaker 1: have that map of the of the of the world 613 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:33,760 Speaker 1: and you basically have the United States, they're in the 614 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 1: center of it, or or europe western ist. Yeah, this 615 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:40,080 Speaker 1: is the center of the map. This is the center 616 00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:43,680 Speaker 1: of the of the place in the world in space. 617 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:46,800 Speaker 1: So thanks for us sending that, Tis Murphy. Here's one 618 00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:49,560 Speaker 1: from a listener by the name of Alberto from Puerto Rico. 619 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:52,160 Speaker 1: Alberto Retsina says, hi, Julian Robert, I just finished listening 620 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:54,400 Speaker 1: to the three Map podcast and remembered a weird high 621 00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:56,960 Speaker 1: school experience I had with maps and wanted to share 622 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,320 Speaker 1: it with you. In a Puerto Rican history class, the 623 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,360 Speaker 1: teacher to side did that the best thing we could 624 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:03,480 Speaker 1: do was make a lot of maps. The thing is 625 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:06,720 Speaker 1: that he had some weird map hypotheses. The first is 626 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:09,480 Speaker 1: that each map had a capital or central point, and 627 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:12,320 Speaker 1: that if it didn't, the owner or user of the 628 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:14,920 Speaker 1: map was the main point of the map. Second, every 629 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:18,320 Speaker 1: representation of space was a map, so every representation of 630 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:21,480 Speaker 1: any space had a main point. The assignment required that 631 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:25,440 Speaker 1: I localized myself on the ever bigger maps, starting with 632 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:27,880 Speaker 1: our house. We had to do maps with the star 633 00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:31,920 Speaker 1: of for where I lived as a capital of our house, 634 00:33:32,440 --> 00:33:36,560 Speaker 1: our barrio, neighborhood, reward, our town, our country, Puerto Rico, 635 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:41,320 Speaker 1: our area Caribbean, our continent, our planet, and our solar system. 636 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:43,840 Speaker 1: I never understood the reasoning behind this, and he never 637 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:46,120 Speaker 1: made the connection between this exercise in the history of 638 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:48,760 Speaker 1: Puerto Rico. The rest of the assignments of the class 639 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:51,640 Speaker 1: were maps related. But we're map related, but not so 640 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:53,600 Speaker 1: far away from the history is this one? Thank you 641 00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:55,880 Speaker 1: for making my commute entertaining. Well, I think it's an 642 00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:58,800 Speaker 1: interesting experiment that the class engaged in because it was 643 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:01,440 Speaker 1: getting down to what is the nature of the map 644 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:03,719 Speaker 1: and what does it say about where I am on 645 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,320 Speaker 1: the map and where I position myself in the map? Well, 646 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:08,960 Speaker 1: I like it too, because it gives kids the idea 647 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:12,280 Speaker 1: that they are citizens of the universe, that, of course, 648 00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:15,440 Speaker 1: this is the specific street that they live on, specific 649 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:18,120 Speaker 1: neighborhood and specific city and so on, and keep going out. 650 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:20,719 Speaker 1: It's almost like the powers of ten, right, yeah, yeah, exactly, 651 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:23,000 Speaker 1: so yeah, I really like that one. Certainly of any 652 00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:26,440 Speaker 1: of the other listeners have any cool map experiences and 653 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:30,000 Speaker 1: map activities from school like that right in, we'd love 654 00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:32,480 Speaker 1: to hear about them. But more importantly, if you have 655 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 1: something about the healing power of laughter you would like 656 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:37,680 Speaker 1: to share, we'd love to hear any stories you have 657 00:34:37,800 --> 00:34:40,880 Speaker 1: of of how laughter has affected your physical healing or 658 00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:44,480 Speaker 1: emotional healing during trying times in your in your life. Uh, 659 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:47,399 Speaker 1: if you are employed in the medical profession in any way, 660 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:49,680 Speaker 1: shape or form, we'd also love to hear from you 661 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:52,480 Speaker 1: about your thoughts on the nature of humor and if 662 00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:55,160 Speaker 1: any of your comedians share it as well. You can 663 00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:58,080 Speaker 1: find us on Facebook and you can find us on Tumbler. 664 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:00,120 Speaker 1: On both of those we go by the names have 665 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:02,360 Speaker 1: to Blow Your Mind, and on Twitter we used to 666 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:04,319 Speaker 1: handle blow the Mind, and you can drop us a 667 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:13,360 Speaker 1: line at Blow the Mind at Discovery dot com for 668 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:15,840 Speaker 1: more on this and thousands of other topics. Is it 669 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:22,719 Speaker 1: how stuff Works dot Com brought to you by the 670 00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:26,160 Speaker 1: two twelve Toyota Camera. It's ready, are you