We laugh because we find something funny, right? Not according to the research of Robert Provine. People watching a funny movie alone rarely chuckle. Put the same people in a social setting, however, and they will guffaw at anything, funny or not. Provine recorded that 80-90% of the time, people laugh at lines in conversations that aren't funny.
So why do people laugh? According to Professor Jaak Panksepp (he's from Northern Europe btw, hence the strange sounding name), laughter is a way animals signal to others that they're ready to engage in friendly interaction. It's a reliable signal too, because it's often done unconsciously and difficult to fake.
So...we laugh because we want to get along and make friends. Makes sense. I mean, do you feel comfortable around people that don't laugh at all? Or even people that laugh too much?
Don't buy it? Try it yourself. Take an observation journal, snoop around (I mean, uh, conduct research), and see what makes people laugh.
Read the NYT article here.
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