WHAT HAPPENS WHEN...
...you laugh, ROFL or even PMSL
SPLITTING SIDES
Who knew Loling was so technical? Your grey matter starts racing as soon as you hear a joke, or cotton on to others having a cackle, which stimulates neurons in your brain’s cortex, according to research published in the aptly named journal Cortex.
‘Some neural functions are specialised to one side of the brain or the other,’ says Sophie Scott, professor of neuroscience at University College London. ‘It’s called lateralisation, and the language network is mostly left- lateralised.’ This means that the analytical lefthand side of the brain will get working on the gag’s verbal content. ‘When people are responding to laughter, however, we tend to see more right lateralised brain activity,’ says Professor Scott, suggesting that the whole brain gets in on the joke.
LOL YOURSELF LEAN
Skipped your workout? What about a rerun of The
Inbetweeners instead? According to researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the US, laughing raises energy expenditure and increases heart rate by 10-20%. Sounds impressive, but the scientists in question did the maths and that only works out as about 10 extra calories per 10 to 15 minutes of laughter, the equivalent of a couple of almonds. So, maybe don’t sack off your scheduled spin classes just yet.
FAKING IT
Fact: you’re 30 times more likely to laugh when you’re with other people. ‘Laughter functions as a form of communication,’ says Professor Scott. ‘It’s a very nuanced behaviour; you might be laughing to get someone else to like you, or to pretend to like them.’ Fake laughter’s worth the effort, though. ‘Laughter is just as contagious whether it’s real or fake,’ she explains. What we’re saying is, sometimes you have to fake it till you make it.
OUT OF CONTROL
We’ve all been there. You know, really ugly laughing, bending-over-holding-your-stomach-crying laughing. Maybe even wee-a-bit laughing. So, er, what’s going on there? ‘You’re squeezing air out of your ribcage – hard,’ says Professor Scott. ‘This action suppresses other types of motor control, including the muscles that hold urine in.’ Sounds like you? It might be time to add some Kegels to your routine. (More on this on page 116.)
AUTOMATIC HIGH
Laughing hard leads to the release of endorphins; the exact same euphoric effect you feel post-spin class, according to Robin Dunbar, emeritus professor of evolutionary psychology at Oxford University. The natural high you feel is attributed to the way feel-good chemicals interact with receptors in your brain to block pain signals. But a good guffaw isn’t just great for cushioning the sensation of pain, research suggests it could even put paid to its source by strengthening the immune system. ‘Laughter encourages the release of killer T-cells – a type of white blood cell – which are an important part of your armoury for resisting diseases,’ says Professor Dunbar.