Laughter, that universal expression that implies movements in the face and changes in breathing, is normally a symbol of joy, although it is also used as a social gesture, of mockery or it can even be feigned to desire … or come caused by someone tickling us … that’s the ‘ticklish’. Laughter is not something that belongs exclusively to human beings, since we find it in some rodents and among primates.
One of the ways to classify laughter depends on its intentionality. We find that there is a type of laughter, let’s call it ‘natural’, that is involuntary and that is mediated by emotions, and another type of laugh that is usually called ‘feigned’, that is voluntary, that is, produced intentionally by the person . It is interesting to know that scientific research indicates that both types of laughter seem to depend on different circuits in the brain. Thus, while structures such as the amygdala, thalamus and hypothalamus play an important role in involuntary laughter, in controlled laughter the premotor areas of the frontal cerebral cortex would participate more prominently.
The benefits of laughter on a physiological and psychological level have been described frequently (hopefully each of us will have experienced it at some time). At a physiological level, muscle relaxation occurs, oxygen saturation increases, blood pressure decreases, blood vessel function improves, it causes us to expend energy, stimulates our immune system, facilitates the production of endorphins (chemicals associated with well-being ), and can even help decrease pain. But it also has huge psychological benefits. Laughter helps modulate the stress response, since it favors the establishment of positive emotional states and lowers the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). It also causes the improvement of creativity and memory through a greater secretion of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, even acting as a natural antidepressant.
The healthy properties of laughter have been scientifically studied for years, but what about sexual differences? Who laughs more, them or them? According to a group of Spanish scientists in a study published in 2011 in the Spanish Clinical Journal , women seem to use laughter more frequently in social interactions and as a way to cope with stress. Males seem to use it more when they have to talk about sensitive health topics. According to the data provided, women laugh longer but the daily frequency of laughter would not be different between both sexes. What the authors conclude is that laughter can be a useful instrument for health professionals, for example when giving certain messages, but taking care of the differences between men and women.
Marisa Fernández, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
