On laughter

While time, consciousness and the meaning of life have been ubiquitous topics analyzed by philosophers throughout human existence, few have ruminated on laughter and humor, even if it is said to be our first form of communication. French philosopher Henri Bergson was one of the first to digress and take on the topic, publishing his collection of three essays “Laughter” in 1900. According to Bergson, laughter’s existence can be broken down into three main pillars.

1). Laughter exists because it is human. Bergson proposes that one laughs at something because they see that it has humanlike characteristics either in it or given to it by us humans. Perhaps this can explain the popularity of cat and dog videos, as we detect some human attitude or expression in our pets.

2). Laughter requires indifference or a detachment from emotion. Bergson claims that laughter exists in the absence of emotion, because other feelings whether anger, fear, pain, sadness or pride, make it difficult for us to find humor in a situation. In this way, humor helps us to relax and to recognize that emotions are simply fleeting.

3). Laughter “stands in need of an echo.” Lastly, Bergson suggests that laughter is social, and that it requires the presence of others to exist within a group. This converges with his initial point, as humans are social creatures that relied on cooperation, communication and community to survive as a species. Humans cannot exist on their own, and Bergson argues, neither can laughter, perhaps because it is human itself.

Although Bergson lists the premises for laughter to exist, he doesn’t explain why we need laughter. However, within the past decade, this universal, inarticulate primal sound we make has been studied by psychologists and neuroscientists to better understand the reasons for laughter.

So, why do we need laughter?

I’m sure we can all easily derive from personal experience that laughter has an extremely contagious effect. As Bergson states in his last point, we laugh because other people laugh. Similar to when yawning or smiling, our mirror neurons are at work, mimicking laughter when we see and hear it. This is why there are laugh tracks in sitcoms and audiences in comedy shows — hearing other people laugh encourages us to do the same. In fact, we are 30 times more likely to laugh when we are with others than when we are alone. Laughter serves a social purpose, signaling to others that we want to connect with them. It makes us feel as part of a group, a place where we are welcome to find humor in a situation.

“Laughter is the best medicine” as they say, and science has claimed that saying to be true. When we laugh, our body releases endorphins and dopamine, both chemicals that trigger pleasure, make us “feel good,” and even relieve pain. The act of laughing increases oxygen intake, encouraging deeper breathing, increasing blood flow through vessels and stimulating the heart and lungs. Some research even suggests that laughter can boost our immune system by decreasing stress hormones and increasing immune cells and antibodies.

Laughing is a crucial part of our daily life, whether psychologically or biologically speaking. Under COVID, social isolation has affected the way we interact with others and apathetic online meetings are no proper replacement. Our brains and bodies can’t adapt and develop as quickly to new situations as technology can. With positive news on effective vaccine development, I am optimistic that we can soon return back to our natural in-person interactions safely. In the meantime, maybe Zoom could help us out by adding laugh tracks.

Erika Pilpre is a senior at Aragon High School in San Mateo. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.