The Science Behind Why We Laugh

Researchers find that humor is a psychological process of discovery that can benefit us when we are put in a sad situation.  You may laugh when you go to a tragic event which is your way of coping with the tragedy.  Which is very hard to define since we don’t analyze humor in the same way.

Since comedians think differently than the rest of us by using a part of their brain that can come up with their jokes.  When a study was done on some comedians and non-comedians having them write a line for a cartoon.  The comedian’s brain scans had more activity in their temporal lobe.  The temporal lobe is where we process language, abstract information, and where we connect feelings about objects and events.  The non-comedian subjects’ scans had more activity in their medial prefrontal cortex.  This area is responsible for planning and decision making.

Below is the number one funniest joke:

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He’s not breathing, and his eyes are glazed, so his friend calls 911. “My friend is dead! What should I do?” The operator replies, “Calm down, sir. I can help. First make sure that he’s dead.” There’s a silence, then a loud bang. Back on the phone, the guy says, “Ok, now what?”

Because humor is different for one person than it is to another, one person may find the above joke funny and someone else may find it offensive.