Why We Laugh We start finding things
laughable — or not laughable — early in life. An infant first smiles at
approximately eight days of age. Many psychologists assume this is his first
sign of simple pleasure— food, warmth and comfort. At six months or less, the
infant laughs to express complex pleasures—such as the light of Mother’s smiling
face. Between the ages of six months and one year, the baby
learns to laugh for essentially the same reasons he will laugh throughout his
life, says Dr. Jacob Levine, associate professor of psychology at Yale
University. Dr. Levine says that people laugh to express mastery over an
anxiety. Picture what happens when a father throws his child into the air. The
child will probably laugh—but not the first time. In spite of his enjoyment of
"flying", he is too anxious to laugh. How does he know Daddy will catch him
Once the child realizes he will be caught, he is free to enjoy the game. But
more importantly, says Dr. Levine, the child laughs because he has mastered an
anxiety. Adult laughter is more subtle, but we also laugh at
what we used to fear. The feeling of achievement, or lack of it, remains a
crucial factor. Giving a first dinner party is an anxious event for a new bride.
Will the food be good Will the guests get along Will she be a good hostess
Will the knives and forks, cups and saucers be all right All goes well; the
party is over. Now she laughs freely. Her pleasure from having proved her
success is the foundation for her pleasure in recalling the evening activities.
She couldn’t enjoy the second pleasure without the first, more important one—her
mastery of anxiety. Laughter is a social response triggered by
cues. Scientists have not determined a brain center for laughter, and they are
perplexed by patients with certain types of brain damage who go into laughing
fits for no apparent reason. The rest of us require company, and a reason to
laugh. When we find ourselves alone in a humorous situation, our
usual response is to smile. Isn’t it hue that our highest compliment to a
humorous book is to say that "it made me laugh out of loud" Of course, we do
occasionally laugh alone; but when we do, we are, in a sense, socializing with
ourselves. We laugh at a memory, or at a part of ourselves. Of
course, we don’t always need a joke to make us laugh. People who survive
frightening situations, such as a fire or an emergency plane landing, frequently
relate their story of the crisis with laughter. Part of the laughter express
relief that everything is now all right. During a crisis, definitely, everyone
mobilizes energy to deal with the potential problem. If the danger is avoided,
we need to release that energy. Some people cry; others laugh.
When we are made the target of a joke, either on a personal or impersonal
level, we are emotionally involved in it. Consequently, we won’t be able to
laugh. Knowing that laughter blunts emotion, we can better
understand why we sometimes laugh when nothing is funny. We laugh during moments
of anxiety because we feel no mastery over the situation, claims Dr. Levine. He
explains, "very often compulsive laughter is a learned response. If we laugh, it
expresses good feelings and the fact that we are able to cope. When we’re in a
situation in which we can’t cope, we laugh to reassure ourselves that we
can!" How often have we laughed at a funeral or upon hearing bad
news We laugh to deny an unendurable reality until we are strong enough to
accept it. Laughter also breaks our tension. However, we may also be laughing to
express relief that the tragedy didn’t happen to us. We laugh before giving a
big party, before delivering a speech, or while getting a traffic ticket, to
say, "This isn’t bothering me. See I am laughing." But if we
sometimes laugh in sorrow, more often we laugh with joy. Laughter creates and
strengthens our social bonds. And the ability to share a laugh has guided many
marriages through hard periods of adjustment. How could we
manage a life with the absence of laugh According to Dr. Levine, we can measure
our adjustment to the world by our capacity to laugh. When we are secure about
our abilities, we can laugh at the defects of our own character. If we can laugh
through our anxieties, we will not be overpowered by them. The
ability to laugh starts early, but it takes a lifetime to perfect. Says Dr.
Grotjahn, "when social relationships are mastered, when the individual has
mastered...a peaceful relationship with himself, then he has...the sense of
humor." And then he can throw back his head and laugh. Both
infants and adults laugh for the same reasons. Giving your first dinner party is a source of laughter.