Laughter and the BrainLaughter...it's fun...it's funny...but why do we do it? Why can't you tickle yourself? What part of the brain is responsible for laughter and humor? There are not many answers to these questions because there have not been very many experiments on the topic of laughter. Part of the reason for this is that laughter is not a big clinical problem. People do not go to the doctor because they are laughing and feel good. On the other hand, there are a some people with brain damage that MAY cause uncontrollable, abnormal laughter. Also, there is a type of epilepsy with gelastic seizures...these seizures cause people to laugh. Show
Other areas of the brain, such as the temporal lobe and hypothalamus, may also participate in laughter and humor. So, now we know a little more about what part of the brain is responsible for humor. This does not explain why we laugh or why we don't laugh when we tickle ourselves. Believe it or not, there has been some research into this area. In fact, researchers at the University of California in San Diego have even constructed a "Tickle Machine". For these scientists, tickling is no laughing matter!Is Laughter the Best Medicine?The physiological study of laughter has its own name: "gelotology." Research has shown that laughing is more than just a person's voice and movement. Laughter requires the coordination of many muscles throughout the body. Laughter also:
However, laughter is NOT ALWAYS good medicine. There are a few cases when laughing actually CAUSED a heart attack or a stroke. Also, immediately after abdominal surgery, people should not laugh too hard because they could tear out their stitches accidentally. Care should also be used in patients with broken ribs. So, try not to be too funny around these people. How laughter affects the nervous system and rest of the body is not completely understood. A new area of neuroscience called Psychoneuroimmunology" studies the interactions between the brain and the immune system. The field of psychoneuroimmunology combines the methods and techniques of psychology, neuroscience and immunology. Psychoneuroimmunological experiments usually focus on how stress affects the nervous system and disease states. Laughter has been shown to cause changes in the autonomic nervous system and also to alter stress hormone and neurotransmitter levels. For example, 60 min. of watching a video with the comedian "Gallagher" caused reductions in the levels of:
Further research into how a positive attitude affects a person's health need to be done. This will give a whole new meaning to the phrase: "Fun Science" See if I can make you laugh with these brain jokes. For more about laughter and the brain, see:
References and further information:
Copyright © 1996-2015, Eric H. Chudler All Rights Reserved. What might be the cause of the laughter from inside the Radley house?Q: What might be the cause of the laughter from inside the house? A: The laughter is most likely from Boo Radley inside the house after seeing Scout bump into the house while riding inside the tire.
Who was laughing in the Radley house?Terms in this set (5)
Who was laughing in the Radley House? Boo Radley was laughing inside of the Radley House.
When Scout crashed into the Radley house in the tire What did she hear that made her not want to play Boo Radley?Every day they played "The Radleys." One day Atticus saw them and asked if they were playing "The Radleys." Jem lied and said, "no." Scout wanted to stop playing because Atticus had seen them, and because when she fell in the tire, she had heard someone in the Radley's house laughing.
What is the Boo Radley game in Chapter 4?He has moved from weakly accepting a dare to touch the Radley house to retrieving a tire from the Radley yard to creating a game in which the children take on the personas of various Radley family members. Jem's bravery increases when he and Dill decide to deliver the note to Boo.
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