Laughter is Definition, types, causes of laughter

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Laughter prolongs life. It is difficult to argue with this statement. After all, scientists have long proven that during it, a person produces hormones of joy. They help fight stress and other psychological and physiological problems. But experts also argue that laughter is a multifaceted phenomenon. There are about a dozen of its types, which are accompanied by polar different emotions. What is human laughter? And what are its reasons?

Definition

In the scientific world, there is a clear definition of such a phenomenon as laughter. This is a human reaction to humor, unexpected, pleasant sounds, tactile impact, etc. The manifestation of this reaction is an involuntary change in facial expressions and movement of the respiratory apparatus.

The study of laughter and its effect on the human body deals with the section of psychiatry - the science of helotology. Since ancient times, philosophers have paid attention to the phenomenon of laughter. Aristotle, E. Kant, A. Bergson made a significant contribution to the study of its nature. Thus, the correlation of human laughter with friendliness, aggression, illness, play, etc. was revealed. It has been proven that there are several types of laughter. And each of them has different causes and affects the human body in different ways.

Humorous

It is natural for an adult to laugh when he sees or hears something funny, ridiculous, unexpected. It can be a joke, funny sounds or an action, a grimace of another person. Such a situation causes humorous, or cheerful laughter. Also in Russian there is a stable expression "contagious laughter". Indeed, as soon as one person laughs, as a smile, laughter appears in others.

Humorous laughter can be open (with lips parting) and closed/restrained (with closed lips). Psychologists say that his character is directly related to the personal qualities and circumstances in which the person is. As a rule, open laughter is characteristic of a family circle, a group of friends, a work team. He speaks of some kind of closeness (kindred or spiritual), warm relationships, trust. Closed laughter is a reaction of people constrained by certain conditions or norms.

Children's

Children's laughter falls into a special category. This is the spiritual impulse of a child, pure, flowing and enthralling and fun for everyone around. From a scientific point of view, any pleasant and unexpected sounds, funny facial expressions, tactile sensations (tickling) can be the reasons for it. Young children cannot read and perceive humor in the form in which it evokes positive emotions in adults.

Moreover, experts note that regardlessdepending on the circumstances and environment, children's laughter is the same. This is an open display of joy. It occurs unconsciously and lasts as long as the external influence continues. Thus, children's laughter is instantaneous and does not repeat as a memory of the situation.

Hysterical

Hysterical laughter has a different nature. It is associated with neuro-psychic overexcitation of a person. The trigger is a vivid experience of events that once caused a shock. It does not require illustrative examples. Hysterical laughter begins involuntarily, as an option - when a person becomes hurt, scared or offended.

This phenomenon does not evoke positive emotions in the person laughing and in those around him. Rather, it is a mixture of despair and surprise. To the ear, it is perceived as intermittent laughter, turning into loud laughter. If the seizures recur, the person needs medical attention.

True, there is another interpretation of hysterical laughter. It is understood as unrestrained and prolonged laughter.

Physiological

Physiological laughter is a person's joyful reaction to tactile sensations (tickling), although it may also be the result of taking drugs. It is characterized by openness, spontaneousness and discontinuity. When tickled, it coincides in duration with the duration of the tactile impact. When taking certain drugs, the causes of physiological laughter are due to mental processes. The general mood can be called upbeat, intermittent laughter,superficial, unsubstantiated. At first glance, it resembles hysterical laughter, but it is longer and does not have episodes of nervous shock.

Social

Social is the laughter of people united by a common idea, the reason for the meeting. A striking example is the reaction of listeners to political speeches. This is general excitement, jubilation. Of course, it has similarities with the humorous laughter evoked from the audience at concerts by comedians. However, in the first case there is a spiritual, ideological unification of people. High spirits are due to gaining hope and prospects for the future. This is not idle fun, but inspiration. As a rule, this is open or restrained laughter, accompanied by shouts of support and applause.

Ritual

Ritual laughter is an artificial, acting manifestation of joy, hysteria, aggression, fear or other emotions. As a rule, it is used by actors in the productions of comedies or humorous scenes. The main task is to ensure that laughter is colored as accurately as possible with a certain emotion, accompanied by the necessary gestures, facial expressions, and conveyed to the listener / viewer. There are, of course, many options for its manifestation. It can be rude and haughty laughter, open and mocking, cowardly and insinuating, restrained, through gritted teeth, or boisterous, sincere.

Pathological

Pathological laughter, as a rule, can be observed in mentally ill people. However, in recent years there has been an increase in popularityacquire laughter therapy, or the treatment of stress and other nervous disorders with laughter. To do this, a person, for a reason and without it, must intentionally laugh for a certain period of time. This process can be confused with ritual laughter. However, these events have different purposes. In the first case, laughter serves as a brain stimulation for positive impulses. In the second (ritual) it is necessary to laugh in order to fulfill the actor's task - to convey emotions corresponding to the action.

Pathological laughter should be open, joyful. As a rule, it has a wavy or avalanche-like structure. That is, it can subside and flare up again. Or maybe go from a quiet, artificial phase to a sonorous, boisterous, sincere one.

Laughter and character

During a deep study of the ways in which laughter manifests itself, scientists have established its relationship with the character of a person. Let's share the most interesting observations:

• If a person laughs openly, throwing his head back slightly, then most likely he has a broad nature. Among his main qualities are gullibility, gullibility and the manifestation of momentary emotions.
• If, when laughing, the interlocutor lightly touches his lips with his little finger, then he probably likes to bathe in everyone's attention, adheres to good manners and conventions.
• If a person covers his mouth with his hand while laughing, then perhaps he is inherently shy. It is easy to confuse such an interlocutor. He prefers to stay in the background.
• It's not uncommon to see people wrinkle their noses when laughing. Psychologists believe thatsuch a manner belongs to self-centered and capricious individuals who change their views and feelings according to their mood.
• When an interlocutor opens his mouth wide while laughing, it is safe to say that this is a mobile, temperamental nature. He is a great speaker who gets discouraged without the attention of others.
• And finally, if before laughing quietly, a person slightly tilts his head, then this indicates his kindness, conscientiousness. In life, they are indecisive conformists. It's pretty hard to guess how they really feel.