Who wouldn't wish to laugh?

IT’S one of the most vital aspects of human beings, yet easily evasive. It’s part of human behaviour. More often, it occurs impulsively. Rarely will one think of its implications or why they do it. It is considered to be the best medicine. Laughter.

It’s said, unless it is sad laughter, or one which is graced by resignation or bitterness, it keeps you happy, young and healthy. If everyone discovered such a medicine that comes at no cost, laughter would be the order of every day.

What is laughter? What makes people laugh?

According to The New Oxford English Dictionary, 'Laugh' means: Make sounds or movements of the face and body that are the instinctive expressions of a lively amusement and sometimes of contempt and derision. 'Laughter' is 'the action or sound of laughing'.

Laughter can be equated to the opium of happiness and social creations. Three theories exist to explain the aspect of laughter.

The relief theory suggests that laughter occurs to relieve tension. The crack of a joke will yield to laughter. It’s hard to resist laughing at a nice joke, humorous occurrence or a funny issue.

Any attempt to suppress laughter that’s instigated by something one considers humorous mounts pressure and tension within the person. Laughter is an invaluable avenue to releasing such pressure.

The superiority theory points out that people laugh because they are in a higher position as opposed to the victim of the laughter: the one being laughed at. This might be a sign of mockery or ridicule. Most people who are propelled by the superiority theory to laugh are sadists. Often, their laughter is derived from black humour. This is a situation that, rather than evoking sympathy, evokes laughter.

The incongruity theory advances the view that people laugh at the opposite of what is expected or at some absurd situation. Definitely, one might expect an errant child to cry after being subjected to punishment. On the contrary, if such a child laughs after punishment, this might cause on to laugh.

Nevertheless, laughter is not tied down to the three theories. There are occasions when a person bursts out laughing hysterically for no reason. Another person might burst out laughing when in actual sense, they are supposed to cry.

Why do people laugh anyway?

Macharia Muriuki, a journalism student says that laughter is like a path towards impending communication between people.

"People laugh to set the tempo of communication," he says after succumbing to a few seconds of laughter. "When you laugh, you create rapport with someone. The person feels free to talk to you about anything."

From this point of view, laughter can be likened to the kola nut which is chewed in many West African cultures, individually or in a social setting (wikipedia.org). It was used as a gesture of peace, friendship and hospitality. It promotes social bonding between two or more people.

21 year old Scola points out that people laugh because it is natural. Since laughter is natural, it occurs spontaneously.

"People laugh because laughter is part of human nature," she remarks. "Sometimes, people laugh because others, especially those in the same social group laugh. So, laughter is contagious."

Deborah Nalongo, a librarian puts curtly, "It’s because of fun that people laugh." Something funny is able to elicit laughter.

However, laughter on the basis of something funny is relative. There are as many laughters as there are funny bits that evoke such laughters. What one considers funny might seem ordinary to another person.

Generally, most laughter does not follow jokes or what some people might regard funny. Most laughter occur impulsively. It’s not planned. It just happens without much consideration of how one should laugh, how long the laughter should last or what people would perceive of one who laughs in a weird way.

Prof. Austin Bukenya is known to encourage his students to laugh any time he teaches. Whenever he cracks jokes, some of which would be devoid of the ‘laughter material’ he’ll often tell them to laugh. After all, he has told them a funny story or joke and he expects them to laugh.

To many, this might sound inconsequential. On the contrary, it’s a powerful tool used to command attention in a persuasive mode. Students tend to be more attentive to instructors who create such a rapport like cracking jokes to get them to laugh.

Laughter is a self-defined medication. It’s an inexpensive remedy to stress, distress, contracted muscles, boredom and sickness.

William Fry (1971), Associate Professor at Stanford University acknowledges, "Laughter increases heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption and works muscles in the face and stomach. Shortly after, these levels drop, providing a relaxation response… Laughter is an antidote to stress."

Notably, laughter relieves one of anger, fear, sadness and nervousness. Moreover, who wouldn’t wish to increase their intelligence and ability to process and retain information courtesy of laughter? Laughter is an element inherent in human beings. People who laugh a lot are said to be a happy lot.
Joshua Masinde.