laughing..

[turkey154]

i didnt know which section to put this in so i decided to put it in here.

me and my boyfriend were wondering yesterday why people laugh when something is funny. why do we not just say a word? and how is it that babies know to laugh when they think something is amusing or when they are tickled...how do they know to do that??

it is a silly question really but one i would really like an answer to please...

[mr. piper]

Not a silly question, you have to think a bit deep about it, but even us the, humans have in-built reactions, instinct. It is just difficult to accept that an instinct can be so complex and seemingly so abstract. Never the less, laughing, it has been said, is so that a common ground can be established between people. It is a positive reinforcement of bonds between kin or friends. After all you would not make the same gestures to an enemy whilst in an attack situation. Laughter has a precise pattern that lets you know, even though folk have their own laugh, that it is a pleasing gesture, that in general is not threatening. If you see what i mean!

[pixi]

Hi, veering off your question here a bit, but you asked how babies knew how to laugh?  It reminded me of the first time my granddaughter was shown a worm.  She was about 15 months old and we were in the garden, found a worm and showed her it.  We didn't scare her or anything just went 'look what i've got' sort of thing.  She ran away flapping her arms and screaming.  At the time I wondered how she knew it was something icky.

[kazzee69]

I often think this about crying! How do we know to cry.. why don't we just say a word to express and emotion! Strange huh?

[LitChick]

Just want to say this is not a silly question...this is a GREAT question and I wish I had a fabulous response!! x

[mr. piper]

Crying is another instinctive reaction, it is to contact the milk bar for a "latte". it is also instinctive that what could easily be at a lower volume than a machine noise, a baby crying, tears a hole in your head, by irritation if it is not your child, or frustration if it is your baby until you have satisfied the little ******. Interestingly, when a baby cries, it gives details of its health. I know that a infant with scarlett fever cries in a certain way, small pox in another way! it is the most successful call for help that humans have. NO one can resist a baby crying, adults cry for much the same reasons, a loss , a need. Certainly, because it is a visible emotion it is used to endear one to another , even unintentially.

[Tabby]

I think there are two types of laughter. There is the one when you are pleased to see somebody, but there is also a must more sinister one!

Think about it. If you look at most �comedy�, it�s always about something bad happening to somebody else, or making somebody else look stupid. So why is this sort of thing funny? It�s a question that has bothered me for some time (years!).

My conclusion is it is related to the �purpose of life�. Okay, so �what the �purpose of life�? Well I think it can be stated very simply.

The purpose of life is �the survival of your species�. So it doesn�t matter if you are an ant or a blade of grass, your purpose is still the same. To survive and pass on your genes to the next generation.  This you must do more successfully than your neighbour � hence survival of the fittest.

What�s this got to do with laughter? Well, if you see something bad happening to somebody else, this puts you at an advantage over him or her, a sort of one-upmanship, and hence makes you feel good.

Well that�s my thought anyway,
Tabby.