Items related to Laughter : A Scientific Investigation
The first comprehensive, scientific--and often humorous--look at one of our most common yet complex and puzzling behaviors, by the recognized expert in the field
Guffaws in a crowded bar, giggles that punctuate lovers' murmurs, a blaring TV laugh track--the sounds of laughter are a fundamental part of life's texture. Science has largely overlooked this basic component of our humanity, but in Laughter neurobiologist Robert Provine takes a long-anticipated and wide-ranging look at this intriguing and surprising topic.
Based on a decade of work in the field, Provine reveals that laughter is mostly a tool in social relationships rather than a simple response to humor; that women laugh more at men than vice versa; that speakers tend to laugh more than their audiences; that tickling rather than being a reflex is actually a form of communication. Drawing upon the latest evidence, much of it presented here for the first time, Provine's analysis of laughter includes such diverse topics as the sonic analysis of laughter, how laughter has been musically notated in opera scores, a 1962 laughing epidemic that immobilized an entire African community, and the genuine health benefits of laughing.
Laughter is the rare science book that is both a groundbreaking study and wonderfully entertaining exploration of the human animal.
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Review:
Is it really the best medicine? Neurobiologist Robert R. Provine discovered that no scientist had ever looked into the weird, uncontrollable, and very human phenomenon of laughter, so he started off on his own. Laughter: A Scientific Investigation is his warm and--of course--funny report on how and why we giggle and snort with such regularity. Basing his views on field research conducted in a broad array of social situations (laughter being notoriously difficult to evoke in the laboratory), Provine posits that we use it as a universal, preverbal means of communication. Though animal research is controversial, it suggests that apes establish and maintain relationships using laughlike behavior, so it could be the missing link between animal communication and true language. He also explores instances in which we seem to laugh our way into and out of social situations, and includes a list of tips for keeping the laughs flowing. The irony of the scientific community not taking laughter seriously isn't lost on Provine, and he takes every opportunity to remind his fellows that even the seemingly most trivial matters can hide the most profound truths. If that isn't funny, what is? --Rob Lightner
About the Author:
Robert R. Provine is a professor of neurobiology and psychology at the University of Maryland. His work has been featured in media around the world, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Good Morning America.
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- PublisherFaber & Faber
- Publication date2000
- ISBN 10 0571201415
- ISBN 13 9780571201419
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages1
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