Seven types of laughter: who laughs well? Laughter. Entertaining psychology Psychology of laughter

According to Anokhin's biological theory of emotions, emotions arose at a certain stage of evolution as a means of assessing a need and the degree of its satisfaction. As a rule, any unsatisfied need is accompanied by negative emotions, while the satisfaction of this need causes positive emotions, one of the manifestations of which is laughter. According to another theory, laughter is a person's reaction to something unexpected - for example, to the denouement of a joke or to being touched by tickling parts of the body that are usually not touched. The mechanism of laughter is a “joint product” of our intellect and emotions. The intellect perceives some funny paradox, absurdity, contradiction, and the process of laughter itself is a release of accumulated emotional tension.

Obviously, it has not yet been possible to fully unravel the physiology of laughter. It is known that during laughter, many life-giving processes occur in the body: the level of production of “stress hormones” - cortisol and adrenaline - decreases, and the hormone endorphin is released into the blood. It is endorphin, a kind of “drug” produced by the body, that dulls pain, causes a feeling of satisfaction, and allows you to look at troubles from a new perspective. Prolonged laughter (for example, when watching a comedy movie or a humorous program) first increases and then decreases heart rate and lowers blood pressure. When laughing, a person takes a deep breath and then exhales briefly, so intensely that the lungs are completely emptied of air. Gas exchange accelerates 3-4 times, which is a natural breathing exercise.

The strength of laughter varies from a slight grin to a Homeric laugh. The difference in reaction depends on many indicators: the amount of neurotransmitters - biologically active substances that affect the corresponding structures in the brain that are responsible for “triggering” laughter; the emotional and physical state in which the person was before they tried to make him laugh; finally, from the individual perception of a specific absurdity (those who have had similar situations in their life will laugh harder at jokes about their mother-in-law). The same joke can seem both funny and outrageous to different people.

Sometimes we laugh so hard we can't stop. Why is this happening? This is where the “mirror reflection” mechanism comes into play; we look at something or hear something that seems very funny to us. We begin to laugh and look again at or remember what gave our laughter the impetus. Up to a certain point, this circular reinforcement strengthens laughter, and as internal tension decreases, laughter weakens and finally stops.

Optimism - against the flu
According to the US National Academy of Sciences, scientists led by Richard Davidson from the University of Wisconsin found that optimists produce more protective antibodies against. A group of 52 people aged 57 to 6o years was selected for the experiment. They were subjected to comprehensive testing, including a method of studying brain activity, and the subjects were divided into two groups: “optimists” and “pessimists.” Both groups were then given the flu vaccine. Subjects' blood was then taken three times over the course of six months to determine how protective antibodies were formed after the vaccine was administered. It turned out that the increase in antibody levels in the group of “optimists” was much faster than that of the “pessimists.”

Laughter that heals

One of the most famous people who healed himself with laughter was American psychotherapist Norman Cousins. Doctors said that with his diagnosis (collagenosis - a continuously progressive disease that affects connective tissue in all organs and tissues) medicine is powerless. Instead of “burying” himself and moaning about his fate, Cousins locked himself in his house and watched humorous programs from morning to evening. First, the paralyzed fingers began to move, the pain disappeared, and then Cousins learned to walk again and was completely cured. It was he who founded "gelotology" - the science of laughter.

Today, gelotology is a popular direction in psychotherapy, gaining more and more adherents in different countries of the world. It has three main directions:

Classic laughter therapy. A laughter therapist provides individual or group sessions in which people laugh. They are told jokes, funny stories, they listen to recorded laughter, and watch comedies.
Medical clownery. Medical clowns perform performances for hospital patients, which benefits the patients.
Yoga of laughter. It was developed by Indian doctors; they teach a person to laugh easily and naturally, naturally and often.

Laughter and positive emotions help fight allergic diseases, and such research was conducted by Japanese scientists under the leadership of Dr. Jaime Kimato. The experiment involved 26 people with allergies to house dust. Before the test, they were given an injection of an allergen that caused skin rashes. The size of these lesions was measured. The subjects were then divided into two groups, one being shown a classic comedy starring Charlie Chaplin, and the other being shown boring weather forecasts. After 87 minutes the results were summed up. After measuring skin rashes, the scientists found that patients who were made to laugh by the great comedian during this time had a noticeable reduction in allergic rashes, while this did not happen in the other group.

Who laughs how much?
A newborn baby cannot laugh or smile. But by the end of the first month, when the mother appears, a “revival complex” sets in: the baby smiles and wiggles his legs. The baby begins to laugh only at the end of the third month, and the most fun period begins at the age of 6, when the child can laugh heartily up to 300 times a day! Unfortunately, as a person ages, he laughs less and less. An adult smiles on average only 15 times a day.

Even depression, which affects at least 20% of the population of developed countries, is treated with laughter. If its spread is not stopped, then, according to research from the World Health Organization, by 2020, mortality from suicide will be in second place among other causes of death (heart disease is first), ahead of cancer and all other diseases! Scientists from the Austrian Society for Related Diseases have proposed an original way to treat depression, used in addition to medications. They released a CD containing laughter and encouraging messages from some of the country's most famous people: an Olympic ski champion, a singer, a governor and a famous football player. Psychotherapists give this 20-minute disc to their patients suffering from depression to listen to, and note good results. Patients are “infected” by someone else’s good mood, and their own condition improves.

Make humor your ally:

Try to find something funny in any unpleasant situation. Imagine how a famous comedian could talk about what happened to you. Or imagine that the situation has already been resolved in a favorable way. How would you tell it to a group of friends, wanting to amuse them?
If you have a choice between watching a comedy or an action movie, always choose the comedy.
Fill your home with funny little things that will make you smile when you look at them. Let these be funny photographs from the family archive, some things that remind you of fun events. The more there are, the better. At a difficult moment, looking at them will give you the boost of positive energy you need.
Even if you don't feel like laughing at all, force yourself to smile. Remember that even an artificial smile activates the part of the brain responsible for positive emotions, which means the situation will no longer seem hopeless!

In Western European countries, “therapeutic clowns” have been an integral part of the health programs of large hospitals for 20 years. About 40 people work in this field. In Holland, almost every hospital is proud of its own medical clown. In Israel there is an official specialty "medical clown". In Russia, such programs are also starting to work.

The mechanism of the healing effect of laughter is not yet completely clear. According to some scientists, its role is to protect the body from stress. Thus, laughter protects the immune system from negative influences, which leads to improved treatment results. Therefore, no matter what you are sick with, try to maintain a good mood and help your family with this if they are sick.

What are we going to laugh at?

One of the main functions of humor is to protect our psyche. It “turns on” at the stage of thinking about the situation. Without humor, one could go crazy (and this is not an exaggeration), talking about the betrayal of a loved one, family problems, illness, attempted robbery and many other stressful situations.

It is humor that helps us not to “burn out” after the shock we have experienced. And we can say without exaggeration that if a person is able to talk about his troubles with humor or at least with a smile (even if “forced”), then the situation is not hopeless, and there is light at the end of the tunnel! Smiling, the person seems to be inviting the interlocutor: “Confirm that what happened to me is not so bad!” And if the interlocutor smiles back, then the storyteller’s heart becomes even lighter.

Another function of laughter is to establish positive relationships with other people. An interesting study was conducted by scientists from Westfield College (USA, Massachusetts). During the study, it was found that for women, when choosing a prospective partner, the presence of a sense of humor was one of the determining indicators. The women were offered two photographs of young men with similar external characteristics. Each photograph was accompanied by an autobiographical story, one of which was peppered with jokes, and the second in an “official” style. The overwhelming number of women expressed a desire to meet the “joker.”

But the researchers didn't stop there. Eric Bressler of Westfield State College in Massachusetts and his colleague Sigal Balshine of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, also found that for men, a woman's ability to joke is not a determining factor. It is much more important to them that their partner laughs at their jokes. Why is this happening? Women prefer witty men, since a sense of humor is an indicator of high intelligence and creativity, which means a healthy brain and a good set of genes. Therefore, it is possible to pass on these genes to your children. Those. women, as always, according to evolutionary theory, “choose the best.”

We can talk almost endlessly about the benefits of humor. And now you understand that laughter must be taken seriously. He will help you if you are sick, in a difficult situation or want yours to be happy. And therefore, no matter what happens, don’t lose your sense of humor!

He laughs well who laughs of his own free will. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. There are a number of diseases in which a person is either overcome by inappropriate and causeless laughter, or his facial features form a grimace resembling a smile. MedAboutMe talks about such diseases.

Mental disorders: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and others

Foolishness, laughter, and a tendency to make strange and inappropriate jokes may indicate the presence of hebephrenic schizophrenia. The disease begins to manifest itself during puberty. The patient is characterized by an elevated mood and mannerisms, he laughs and giggles picturesquely, and sometimes behaves obscenely. Bouts of fun can give way to aggression and angry excitement, and sometimes hallucinations appear. Patients are characterized by completely unmotivated actions, stupid pranks, and grimacing. Over time, behavior becomes completely meaningless and purposeless.

Bipolar disorder, or manic-depressive psychosis, can also manifest itself in bouts of euphoria, causeless laughter and joy, which are replaced by depression and depression. In a state of euphoria, the patient has fun for no reason, can laugh even at completely unfunny things, and show inappropriate self-confidence and delusions of grandeur.

Tourette's syndrome manifests itself in childhood. This disorder is characterized by uncontrolled movements, vocal tics, and behavioral disturbances. The patient may shout curses or obscenities (coprolalia), repeat what he hears (echolalia), grimace and laugh. Boys get sick twice as often as girls. The causes of the disease are not completely clear; Tourette syndrome is the subject of research by geneticists, psychiatrists and neurologists. The patient's intelligence, as a rule, does not suffer, but living with Tourette's syndrome is not easy. And it’s definitely not funny at all.

Angelman syndrome

Genetics is to blame for this disease: patients are missing part of chromosome 15. Angelman syndrome is also called Parsley syndrome or “happy doll”. A sick child looks like a cloudlessly happy baby - a joyful smile from all over his mouth never leaves his face.

Unfortunately, there is no need to talk about happiness and joy. Children with Parsley syndrome experience problems with speech development, their coordination is impaired, and in 80% of cases epilepsy is also observed.

Children with Angelman syndrome are trusting and good-natured, they love to listen, and are drawn to people who show interest in them. As they grow older, developmental delays appear. Patients may be socially adapted to a certain extent, but will need care throughout their lives, since they will forever remain “children.” The ability to adapt depends on the degree of chromosome damage. Some patients manage to learn to take care of themselves and run a household, while others cannot even stand up without assistance.

Laughter as a symptom of brain damage

Some forms of epilepsy cause fits of laughter in the patient. The cause of involuntary bouts of laughter, which are in no way related to the emotions experienced, can be a brain tumor or cyst, as well as an acute stroke. Laughter occurs when there is pressure on the corresponding areas of the brain (the anterior cingulate cortex), and only neurosurgery can eliminate the cause of unhealthy fun.

Uncontrollable laughter may signal the development of multiple sclerosis and Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS. Sometimes causeless laughter is observed in Alzheimer's disease - in the early stages.

Smile or grimace of pain? Myasthenia and tetanus

Tetanus is a dangerous disease that can be prevented, but is extremely difficult to cure if it has gone too far. Tetanus is caused by Clostridium tetani, a dumbbell-shaped anaerobic bacterium that attacks the nervous system. The bacterium produces a strong poison - tetanotoxin, which is carried through the bloodstream throughout the body and penetrates the nerve fibers. Any random nerve impulse causes muscle contraction, without subsequent relaxation.

When the facial muscles are damaged, a grimace appears on the face, known as a “sardonic smile”: the corners of the mouth are stretched and drawn down, the eyes are squinted, and tense folds gather on the forehead. It looks scary, despite the name “smile”.

In the world-famous painting of the great Leonardo da Vinci, Gioconda is depicted with a slight half-smile. The lady's eyelids are slightly lowered, her face is serene. Apparently, these external signs prompted doctors to call “Gioconda’s smile” a symptom of another serious disease - myasthenia gravis.

The main signs of myasthenia gravis are increasing muscle weakness and constant pathological fatigue. The disease can affect different muscle groups, causing corresponding symptoms. When the facial and masticatory muscles are damaged, the “Gioconda smile” appears: a motionless face like a mask, drooping eyelids (ptosis), lips stretched into a line. The patient may not even have the strength to open his mouth, chew and swallow food.

When the respiratory muscles are damaged, shortness of breath develops; damage to the skeletal muscles deprives the patient of the ability to move.

There is still debate about the causes of myasthenia gravis. Researchers are looking for the origins of the disease in disruption of biochemical processes, in dysfunction of muscle tissue and in the functioning of the central nervous system. It has been established that the development of myasthenia gravis is influenced by the thymus gland, and possibly by lymphocytes, whose function is to protect the body from foreign agents. The latter gives grounds to classify myasthenia gravis as an autoimmune disease.

Pathological laughter: “I laugh from pain”

In some cases, uncontrollable laughter occurs as a reaction to severe stress, fear, or grief.

There are cases when at a funeral or upon receiving news of the death of dear people, a person begins to laugh, and so much so that he cannot stop. Tears may flow from the eyes like a river, and laughter at times may turn into sobbing, but not stop.

Severe stress can also trigger a fit of uncontrollable laughter. For example, the fear of failing an exam or extreme embarrassment when meeting the strict parents of a loved one are quite capable of provoking unstoppable laughter.

During the Great Patriotic War, a case of mass pathological laughter was described. A unit of Hitler's army occupied a small village. Residents rushed to run through the deep snow towards the forest, followed by bursts of machine gun fire. While running away, people... laughed. Excitedly. Falling under bullets, covering their children, dying - they laughed, with horror in their eyes and mortal melancholy in their hearts.

Many people know that laughter not only prolongs life, but also testifies to a person’s character.

What is a person like in his soul and in his mind?
And what kind of heart beats inside it?
Sometimes you can just judge by
How a person laughs.
Eduard Asadov

Scientists have found that laughter appeared about 10 million years ago. Today there is a special medical field called “gelotology”, designed to study laughter and its effect on the body. According to this science, each of us has a unique laugh as well as a unique character. Today we will tell you about the connection between laughter and character on the site

How can you tell a person's character by his laughter?

Let's consider sound types of laughter.

Laughter “ha-ha” is sincere, carefree, full of agreement with the world around us. Such laughter perfectly relieves nervous tension between interlocutors.
Laughter "hee hee", on the contrary, aggravates this tension. If you hear a malicious giggle, be sure that the interlocutor is clearly hostile towards you, he is being ironic, envies or is hiding something.
Laughter "hehe" is somewhat aggressive, impudent, defiant. The laugher seems to be hinting: “You won’t win me over. The wall will remain in front of us.” By the way, the more you hear the sound “e” in laughter, the more unfriendly the interlocutor is towards you.
Laughter "ho-ho" indicates surprise, criticism or protest of the opponent.
“Hoo-hoo” laughter speaks of fear, panic and vulnerability to traumatic events.

By the way, laughter for no reason, as well as the inability to restrain any other emotions in inappropriate places, is due to purely biological reasons and is associated with disruption of the body’s endocrine system.

Behavior when laughing

If a person laughs with delight, throws his head back, opens his mouth so that his sky is visible, we can talk about his ability to enjoy life, to give himself 100% to it. Such people are not touchy and take ridicule and barbs calmly.

Laughter and human character

They know how to find positivity where others do not notice it. Good leaders , capable of infecting everyone and everything with their laughter.

If the interlocutor reacts to something funny too emotionally, theatrically, slaps his hands on his knees, knocks his palms on the table, he strives to be the center of attention, wants to be in full view of everyone. Such people are attracted by any attention to their person, be it compliments or criticism. They love to attend festive events and know how to inspire others with their joy. Negative traits include stingy, selfish and secretive.

Suppressed laughter indicates a person’s maximum self-control. It's hard to piss him off. Such people are self-confident and reliable, but they always need the support of friends and family. Each time they set new goals for themselves and relentlessly move towards them.

If a person only smiles mysteriously, while raising the right corner of his mouth, this speaks of his cunning and adventurism. Such people are too touchy, afraid of teasing and ridicule, do not know what to say in response, and then get very worried. With difficulty arrange your personal life , because they select a companion very carefully.

A person smiling sweetly with the left half of his mouth is sincere, honest and decent in relationships . Never refuses help. Unlike the previous type, he calmly reacts to jokes directed at himself and immediately forgets about grievances. Popular with members of the opposite sex.

How women laugh

Dreaminess and romance in a woman are revealed by the way she touches her head while laughing. Such women love to live in their own imaginary world, often get lost in reality, do not know how to respond to disputes and conflicts with dignity, have difficulty convincing others. They are adventurous, curious, absent-minded, and are guided in their aspirations by impulses. They can suddenly “break the woods” and then suffer from the consequences.

By the way, if a woman touches her little finger to her lips when laughing, she is fixated on good manners and strives to be the center of attention.

If a woman giggles and tilts her head to the side, she is friendly but critical. Eager to please , loves to flirt. She always tends to act thoughtfully, even if she seems frivolous at first glance. Knows how to keep his feelings under control.

If a woman laughs heartily, opening her mouth wide, this indicates her high self-esteem, self-satisfaction and temperament . Such a woman is not afraid of criticism, she knows how to answer in such a way that it doesn’t seem too little. Sometimes she lacks self-control and restraint. A good friend and adviser, she knows how to listen and hear others.

Laughter and human character

The manner of wrinkling your nose while laughing speaks of a woman’s high self-control and some infantilism. In addition, she often requires increased attention, compliments and courtship.

A woman’s high self-control is also evidenced by her manner of covering her mouth with her palm while laughing. She is characterized by self-criticism,

Only humans and higher primates can laugh - other creatures inhabiting our planet do not have this ability. Although some studies confirm that ordinary gray rats can still emit laughter that is inaudible to the human ear, it is significantly different from human laughter. But only people can laugh out loud, control their laughter, and use it in the right situations. And they don’t learn this - this ability is inherent in us by nature. Small children make their first laugh long before they begin to walk and talk - for different children this event occurs between the ages of 4 months and six months.

What is laughter for?

Laughter is a way of social communication; people laugh extremely rarely when alone, and if this happens, it means there is a virtual source of social interaction. At the physiological level, it is similar to anxiety - if you take measurements of brain function during anxiety and laughter, it will be extremely difficult to distinguish them.

Laughter has the ability to influence people, that is, it gives us the ability to quietly manipulate a person’s emotional state. They say that laughter is contagious. This is manipulation - increasing the mood of others through your laughter. But we will not go into the complex physiological processes of laughter, but will go straight to its varieties.

Laughter and a person's attitude towards you

You can tell a lot by laughter - how a person treats you, what’s on his mind, what his character is. Let's start, perhaps, with the intonations of laughter.

1. If you hear loud peals of “ha-ha-ha,” then you don’t have to be afraid of this person and don’t expect a trick from him. Here is the very sincerity and honesty. At this moment the person is completely relaxed, able to smooth out any awkward situations, ready to embrace the whole world, his mood is so good. It is possible that this person remains like this forever.

2. If you suddenly hear a goblin’s malicious chuckle, which sounds something like this – “hee hee hee,” then stay on your guard. This is not the most pleasant guy in front of you, especially since he is clearly not telling you something, does not particularly hide his hostile attitude, or is burning with a feeling of burning hatred.

3. A dry chuckle “he-he-he” also does not indicate the most friendly attitude of the interlocutor. Moreover, the more “e”, the drier and more aggressive the person. Know that he is not going to have anything to do with you.

4. An alarmed “hoo-hoo-hoo” laugh can tell you that a person is scared, doesn’t know what to do in a given situation, feels completely helpless and unprotected.

5. When the letter “O” is clearly visible in laughter, and the laughter sounds like “ho-ho-ho,” this can only mean one thing - the person is surprised, shocked and categorically against your opinion.

By the way, if a person laughs for no reason, then, contrary to the saying, this is not a sign of a fool, but the result of a disruption of the endocrine system.

Laughter and character

Now let's try to figure out what can be said about a person's laughter about his character.

1. If a person is completely relaxed at the moment of laughter, does it with taste, throwing his head back and opening his mouth wide, then we can confidently say that he is an easy-going, non-offensive, open person who loves life and takes everything from it. The laughter of such people is especially contagious - as soon as they laugh, the whole company will laugh.

2. It’s a completely different story with people who help themselves with gestures, theatrically showing how funny they are. He may hit his palms on his knees or the table, or put his hand to his chest. Know that this person is simply attracting attention to himself, as he always strives to take a central place in any company. Outwardly, they give the impression of very cheerful, sociable people, but if you dig deeper, you will discover selfishness, stinginess and secrecy.

3. Muffled and suppressed laughter with tightly compressed lips indicates that a person is as collected, tense as possible and keeps his emotions under complete control. But this speaks only in his favor - he can definitely be trusted, he knows how to set goals for himself and achieve them, and is not prone to betrayal.

4. If a person, instead of laughing, only smiles wryly from the right corner of his mouth, then this can only indicate that the spirit of adventurism is strong in him. He is clearly cunning, yet still touchy, and often lacks a sense of humor. They are often lonely because they are lost in choosing a partner, choosing him for years.

5. If the left half of the mouth is involved in this process, then this speaks of something else. This person is sincere, honest and decent. If you turn to him for help, he will definitely not refuse you. Such people are usually loved by members of the opposite sex.

6. People who cover their mouths with their palms when laughing are distinguished by a good level of self-control, lack of self-confidence, and restraint in expressing feelings. Such people usually become good family men.

This is how you can tell by laughter what kind of person is in front of you, what his character is and his attitude towards you. Just for fun, observe the people you communicate with and compare your results with these observations.

Illustration / Photo: from open sources

Uncontrollable laughter may be a sign of a disease or condition that usually affects the nervous system

Uncontrollable, unreasonable, pathological laughter can be a medical symptom of serious health problems such as brain tumors, stroke, Angelman syndrome, Tourette syndrome, and nervous system disorders due to drug abuse.

At first glance, the connection between laughter and illness seems strange, because we usually laugh when we are happy or think something is funny. According to the science of happiness, intentional laughter can even lift our mood and make us happy. But it's another thing if you're standing in line at the bank or in the supermarket, and suddenly someone suddenly and wildly laughs for no apparent reason. The person laughing may have a nervous tic, twitch, or appear slightly disoriented. A person can laugh and cry at the same time, while looking either childish or like a victim of violence.

If you start laughing involuntarily and often, this may indicate a symptom such as pathological laughter. It is a sign of an underlying disease or pathological condition that usually affects the nervous system. Researchers are still trying to learn more about this phenomenon (pathological laughter is not usually associated with humor, amusement, or any other expression of joy).

As you know, our brain is the control center of the nervous system. It sends signals that control involuntary actions such as breathing, heartbeat, and voluntary actions such as walking or laughing. When these signals go awry due to a chemical imbalance, abnormal brain growth, or a birth defect, bouts of uncontrollable laughter may occur.

Let's learn more about diseases and medical symptoms that may be accompanied by laughter (but not smiling).

Laughter due to illness

Patients or their family members are usually forced to seek help by any other signs of illness, but not by laughter. However, sometimes laughter is a medical symptom that deserves close attention.

Here's an example: in 2007, a 3-year-old girl from New York began to behave quite unusually: periodically laughing and wincing (as if in pain) at the same time. Doctors discovered she had a rare form of epilepsy that causes her to laugh involuntarily. They then discovered a benign brain tumor in the girl and removed it. After the operation, the symptom of this tumor, involuntary laughter, also disappeared.

Surgeons and neurologists have repeatedly helped people with brain tumors or cysts get rid of involuntary and uncontrollable attacks of laughter. The fact is that removing these formations eliminates pressure on the areas of the brain that cause it. Acute stroke can also cause abnormal laughter.

Laughter is a symptom of Angelman syndrome, a rare chromosomal disorder that affects the nervous system. Patients often laugh due to increased stimulation of the parts of the brain that control joy. Tourette syndrome is a neurobiological disorder that causes tics and involuntary vocal outbursts. People with Tourette syndrome generally do not need treatment unless their symptoms interfere with daily activities, such as work or school. Medication and psychotherapy can help patients minimize their symptoms.

Laughter can also be a symptom of drug abuse or chemical dependency. In both cases, the damaged nervous system sends signals, including those that cause laughter. Dementia, anxiety, fear and restlessness can also cause involuntary laughter.