Everything below is from Wikipedia which has some more info than you'd ever need about laughter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter
Laughter is a part of human behaviour regulated by the brain. It helps humans clarify their intentions in social interaction and provides an emotional context to conversations. Laughter is used as a signal for being part of a group — it signals acceptance and positive interactions. Laughter is sometimes seemingly contagious, and the laughter of one person can itself provoke laughter from others. This may account in part for the popularity of laugh tracks in situation comedy television shows.
The study of humour and laughter, and its psychological and physiological effects on the human body is called gelotology.
While it is normally only considered cliché that "laughter is the best medicine," specific medical theories attribute improved health, increased life expectancy, and overall improved well-being, to laughter.
A study demonstrated neuroendocrine and stress-related hormones decreased during episodes of laughter, which provides support for the claim that humour can relieve stress. Writer Norman Cousins wrote about his experience with laughter in helping him recover from a serious illness in 1979's Anatomy of an Illness As Perceived by the Patient. In 1989, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article, wherein the author wrote that "a humor therapy program can increase the quality of life for patients with chronic problems and that laughter has an immediate symptom-relieving effect for these patients, an effect that is potentiated when laughter is induced regularly over a period".
Some therapy movements like Re-evaluation Counselling believe that laughter is a type of "bodily discharge", along with crying, yawning and others, which requires encouragement and support as a means of healing
2007-07-13 16:18:59
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answer #1
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answered by HawaiianBrian 5
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The most basic way to explain it is, it's a mechanism for releasing emotional tension created by contradictions or contradiction-like conditions; and secondarily it's a way of communicating that things are OK. Humor is always based on something not "matching up" the way it "should." Laughter is physiologically related to emotional weeping or sobbing, another way to relieve stress, and communicate that things are not OK.
2007-07-13 19:08:36
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answer #2
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answered by zilmag 7
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I think that laughing started when the right and left hemispheres of the brain divided. It is like mental confusion between the two sides as they decide which one will deal with the joke, or situation.
2007-07-14 05:07:39
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answer #3
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answered by phil8656 7
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Interesting question. Nobody seems to know why cats purr either, so I guess other species make sounds of contentment and do it without any physiological explanation. I've heard that laughing releases endorphins, but I'm not sure. I don't know why, but I'm glad we do!
2007-07-13 16:44:12
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answer #4
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answered by teeleecee 6
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laughing exists in human nature because God wants us to enjoy life! and without laughing., our life would be definitely boring. and besides, the way we express our happiness is though laughing.
2007-07-13 16:48:30
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answer #5
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answered by butterfly25 1
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it is because of the fact devil became into VERY, VERY careful in HOW he challenged God. particularly of asserting, nicely, we could see who's greater this or that, which could have been over appropriate away, he chosen yet in a various way. And that became into this: He chosen to challenge God's appropriate to rule. by utilising doing this, God had to instruct His rule became into the only way that guy and the Angels ought to stay perpetually in Peace and Happiness. yet, first, there had to be a era the place guy, (and devil) ruled first. So, it quite is the reason Christ talked approximately as devil the ruler of this international. because of the fact he's (for now). it quite is likewise why devil ought to furnish the international to Christ as a temptation. How ought to it is his to furnish and Christ not SAY THIS, if it quite WASN'T? all of us understand that he supposedly confirmed Christ all the attention of the international even to our time, to tempt Christ at his WEAKEST (after a 40 days rapid). Christ, besides the indisputable fact that, knew that ANY kingdom provided, even one in all 2,000 years might nevertheless be non everlasting and can nevertheless lead to God's return, so it would have all been wasted, no count number how plenty sturdy he had executed in those years. So, Christ rejected devil's furnish of ruling the international for the final 2,000 years and particularly died. quickly, he will return together with his eternal Kingdom to rule over the Earth for Eternity. devil would be thrown into the pit for a million,000 years as shown in the e book of Revelation (Rev. 20) and whilst all Mankind returns to Perfection (all and sundry lifeless back AND RAISED TO PERFECTION additionally, inclusive of those HACKED TO loss of life IN RWANDA and those no person yet GOD recalls!) Then devil would be enable unfastened a quick time to attempt those "God is ruler over." So God's day of Rulership is coming. whilst Peace is over the land, and the lion and lamb will lie down jointly, with Christ Jesus as king.
2016-09-29 23:12:55
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answer #6
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answered by dorthy 4
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Laughter is the pause needed to gather one's thoughts before swinging the machete.
2007-07-13 16:13:34
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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the act creates endorphins, which have an overall effect on general health, and because some things are really hilarious.
2007-07-13 16:17:00
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answer #8
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answered by emily321 2
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God gave us laughter to cheer others up just like he Gave us tears to mourn with others
2007-07-14 12:02:17
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answer #9
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answered by cheer_grl23 2
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To relieve the pain.
2007-07-13 16:48:27
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answer #10
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answered by Anonymous
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