You know the feeling (hopefully!): Something silly sets you off – a movie, a joke, or maybe someone near you slips and falls – and you burst into laughter. It feels good to laugh. And since the 1970s, ...

Amusement and pleasant surprises – and the laughter they can trigger – add texture to the fabric of daily life. Those giggles and guffaws can seem like just silly throwaways. But laughter, in response ...

Laughter is thought to have evolved as a form of social bonding in animals and as a way to express playful intention. Many mammals laugh when they are tickled and when they engage in physical play.

Remember that time you laughed so hard you couldn’t breathe? Turns out, that moment of pure joy might have been secretly working overtime to keep you healthier and living longer. Science is finally ...

LAKE FOREST, Calif. - Late to an appointment. Money tight. Stuck in traffic. Jeffrey Briar just laughs. ‘‘Things that would normally stress me out and annoy me, I can laugh at,’’ Briar said. But he ...

When you laugh, your body responds in ways that promote healing, relaxation, and resilience. Laughter is more than a spontaneous reaction to something funny. It’s a natural and powerful tool that can ...

Adrienne Wood receives funding from the National Science Foundation. Laughter is an everyday reminder that we humans are animals. In fact, when recorded laughter is slowed down, listeners can’t tell ...

In the realm of physics, it would seem that cause always precedes effect. In the realm of human behavior, and for our laughter in particular, things appear to be much more flexible. Anticipatory ...