A study of Batek hunter-gatherers from Malaysia shows how laughter can shape our ethical values.
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Articles on Laughter
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The way you and your partner use humour can shape your relationship, and even break it up.
Why are we so serious about not being too serious? The philosophy of humour has the answer.
We may be living in a golden age of satire, but comedy has always struggled to communicate across political divides. Much of today’s satire may be preaching to the choir.
These professional entertainers are trained and paid to go round hospitals cheer up children with music and laughter.
Have you heard the one about the Victorian sense of humour?
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In this episode of the podcast, we take in the history of Victorian humour, why kids find poo so hilarious and whether academics should try and be funny.
Laughing at inappropriate moments could be an early sign of dementia, while injury to the front part of the brain could make you lose your sense of sarcasm.
One viral video might leave you in stitches; another leaves you cold. Psychology researchers have worked out several theories of humor to explain why.
From Alfonso the Wise's bawdy songs of slander to Ronald Reagan's sunny smile, politics and humor have gone hand-in-hand for centuries. But no one seems to be laughing anymore.
The most famous moment in sports commentary tells us a lot about getting the giggles.
Why do we laugh? Evolutionarily speaking, it's so we could survive – and similar rules apply today.
We start laughing at around 3 months of age. Women laugh more than men, but blokes tell more jokes. As the Melbourne International Comedy Festival begins, here's the latest on mirth.
Shakespeare didn't 'lol,' but he did 'ha, ha, he.'
It was Victor Borge, the famous Danish comedian, to whom we can attribute the quote: “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people”. And he was right, laughter is universal in human cultures and…
There’s nothing quite like overhearing a hearty belly-laugh, unless perhaps it’s having a good chortle yourself. The happy likelihood is that, in any case, one guffaw will lead to the other. Laughter is…
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Senior Lecturer in History, Edge Hill University
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Senior Lecturer in Visual Neuroscience, Western Sydney University
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Professor in Psychology, Royal Holloway
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Honorary Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
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Director, Office of Scholarly Communication and Publishing, University of Pittsburgh
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PhD Candidate, University of Leeds
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Professor in Professional Education and Leadership, School of Social Sciences, University of Stirling., University of Stirling
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Senior Clinical Lecturer in Child Psychiatry, University of Aberdeen
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PhD Researcher, Nature and Function of Human Nonverbal Vocalisations, University of Sussex
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Professor of History, Hofstra University
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Professor of Cognitive Psychology, UCL
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Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology (Bates College), Tufts University
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Reader in Cognitive Neuroscience, Sheffield Hallam University
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Associate Professor of Philosophy, Delft University of Technology
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Lecturer in Developmental Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London
