by S. Todd Stolp MD
©December 2008
Recently Americans have shared an identity crisis of extraordinary proportions. Without dwelling upon the confidence-rattling events of the past several years, the emergence of a national state of depression seems to threaten one of the great strengths of our nation: a sense of humor. Therefore, in the interest of taking a break from the fury of the battle, it appears to be a timely opportunity to explore the mysteries of laughter.
If we stick with a scientific dissection of laughter as a behavior, we discover that it actually involves very complex neurophysiologic mechanisms. First, there is the cerebral recognition of irony in the joke itself. Then there is the contraction of the oral muscles which bears the teeth, the spasms of the diaphragm which cause brisk movements of air, the array of sounds generated by contraction of the vocal chords, and in a real guffaw, gasping for air and closure of the eyes!
In many forms of dementia, the sense of humor is one of the first cognitive functions to go. A very revealing test that a doctor can do in the course of a physical exam is to tell a joke, and see if the patient responds. Of course, if the physician is a biostatistics professor this test is nearly impossible to conduct.
Through neuroimaging techniques and mapping of the cerebral cortex, scientists have pointed out that laughter is generated from the same anatomical sites in the brain that produce growling in other primates and lower mammals. The consequential behavior – bearing of the teeth accompanied by the emission of guttural sounds – certainly is reminiscent of laughter, although true laughter is curiously unique to humans. On the other hand, a certain amount of satisfaction might be achieved by growling while watching the evening news, since giggling might be socially unacceptable.
The recognized health benefit of laughter has led to the development in India of “Laughter Clubs”, in which individuals join in communal laughter without the benefit of comedy. Like yawning, laughter has a subliminal infectious quality. Ergo, “sit com” producers saturate the sound tracks of their shows with tracks of laughter which in real life would warrant referral for group psychotherapy.
In this country, one can only speculate about the consequences if the pharmaceutical companies, recognizing the health benefits of humor, were to obtain patents on the latest jokes. Would it be necessary for companies to prove the positive effects of certain jokes by performing controlled studies, in which the control group would be forced to listen to ice skating commentary? Would certain jokes only be available by prescription, accompanied by warnings for patients suffering from incontinence? Would there be certain jokes that should never be told together to a particular patient because of the risks of interactions? Would insurance companies deny coverage to Comedy Clubs that were not Preferred Providers?
While our health care system is plagued with many problems, we should console ourselves that some of the healthiest things we can do are free, and within our reach. A walk in the woods, a swim in the ocean, or a reminder to not take oneself too seriously may all be on that list. It’s a funny thing.