[Babette] pulled the wool from her eyes.
and with tears streaming down her face,
let out the happiest, silliest, truest giggle.
from Baa Haa
written by Audrey Perrott
illustrated by Rods Burach
Scholastic, Inc,. 2025
Who would be brave enough to tickle a gorilla? That was my first thought when I finished reading an article in my local newspaper that described a new study on laughter. Then I heard a news short about the different kinds of laughter and why we laugh. And last Thursday morning a friend of mine mentioned that International Joke Day is July 1 every year. (And I missed it by only one day!)
The Universe must be telling me something, I thought. So I decided to learn a little about laughter.
Results from a study of great apes were published at the end of last month in nature.com and show “great apes have been laughing in a recognizable way to modern humans for at least 15 million years.”
Dr. Chiara De Gregorio, a Research Associate in the Department of Psychology, University of Warwick in England, wondered how human speech developed and studied a prominent common denominator between humans and the other four extant species of great apes, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans: laughter.
The great apes don’t all speak, but we all laugh. Laughter is produced as rhythmic intervals evenly spaced between successive sounds. In all the great ape species, even us. And according to Dr. De Gregorio, the “basic rhythm structure has remained unchanged since our last common ancestor [15-million years ago]. That’s extraordinary.”
De Gregorio’s colleague, Dr. Adriano Lameria agreed. “…laughter evolution tells us that humans lay on a continuum of vocal control capacities…being honed for 15 million years.”
They joined with Marina Davila-Ross to write an article for Nature. By comparing different types of laughter across species and social contexts, they speculate how laughter’s rhythm led to an ability to control vocalizations. In humans, laugh rhythms have become faster through time, and more controlled so, more purposefully variable.
They continue by noting that “[l]aughter … is not merely a social signal but an accessible model for understanding the deep evolutionary roots of human vocal communication.” (Speech) The complexity of moving from the spontaneous rhythms of laughter to the controlled, purposeful grunts, words, and phrases that carry meaning, is nothing short of remarkable.
The best laughter is spontaneous. It often erupts when humans encounter something unexpected. It’s often contagious and uncontrollable. It’s a form of social bonding. People tend to laugh more when we’re in a group than when we are alone. And laughter can work as a signal to let a person know we want to connect with them. We even pretend to laugh with someone to gain their trust, but fake laughter, even when well done, even when we’re unaware we’re doing it, is easy to detect.
But why do we laugh? It’s been said that laughter is the best medicine, and the Mayo Clinic documents long and short term benefits of laughter including stress relief, pain relief, immune system improvement, increased oxygen to improve organ functions including the brain, and heart. And a good laugh releases endorphins to improve our mood. Here's a great article on laughter’s health benefits.
Once, when I explained a joke to my brother after he told me didn’t get it, he said “if you have to explain a joke, you probably shouldn’t have told it.” He said it in the nicest way.
So what is funny? Real people study humor. Jonathan Beber, the lead researcher in a study on humor, named nine different types. Probably with a straight face, too. Which one(s) tickle your funny bone?
Physical humor (slapstick) involves physicality. Slipping on a banana peel or Mister Magoo, the Three Stooges. Clowns.
Self-deprecating humor is used by stand-up comedians. They make fun of themselves to earn a laugh (or guffaw). Also internet memes.
Surreal humor is weird, silly, absurd. Monty Python.
Improvisational humor is spontaneous. Made up on the spot like “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
Wit-Wordplay is twisted language, including puns and Dad jokes.
Topical humor is based on current events. A spin pop-culture, politics, powerful people. Think “Saturday Night Live.”
Observational humor makes fun of everyday life. “Funniest Home Videos” can overlap with Physical Humor.
Bodily humor is always funny. It’s gross-out jokes at their worst. (best?) Does anyone outgrow these?
Dark humor usually involves finding the funny in a serious situation. Like the character in Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses who says (as he plunges to Earth in a malfunctioning parachute, “We must find the levity in the gravity of the situation.” (Some overlap with Wit-Wordplay)
So who would be brave enough to tickle a gorilla? My best guess is a smart scientist who knows how to find joy in work that combines important discoveries with serious fun. If that still feels a little too scary, maybe it’s someone whose job is defining types of humor. Try to do that with a straight face!
I’m still reading The Secret War Against Hate by Steven J. Ross (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2026). It’s seriously scary. Knowing our government has been opaque on so many issues dealing with hatred, violence, and organized crime for so long is anything but reassuring. Not sure I’ll finish this one, even though I know how important it is to be as aware as possible.
Be curious! (and tell a good joke)
and with tears streaming down her face,
let out the happiest, silliest, truest giggle.
from Baa Haa
written by Audrey Perrott
illustrated by Rods Burach
Scholastic, Inc,. 2025
Who would be brave enough to tickle a gorilla? That was my first thought when I finished reading an article in my local newspaper that described a new study on laughter. Then I heard a news short about the different kinds of laughter and why we laugh. And last Thursday morning a friend of mine mentioned that International Joke Day is July 1 every year. (And I missed it by only one day!)
The Universe must be telling me something, I thought. So I decided to learn a little about laughter.
Results from a study of great apes were published at the end of last month in nature.com and show “great apes have been laughing in a recognizable way to modern humans for at least 15 million years.”
Dr. Chiara De Gregorio, a Research Associate in the Department of Psychology, University of Warwick in England, wondered how human speech developed and studied a prominent common denominator between humans and the other four extant species of great apes, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans: laughter.
The great apes don’t all speak, but we all laugh. Laughter is produced as rhythmic intervals evenly spaced between successive sounds. In all the great ape species, even us. And according to Dr. De Gregorio, the “basic rhythm structure has remained unchanged since our last common ancestor [15-million years ago]. That’s extraordinary.”
De Gregorio’s colleague, Dr. Adriano Lameria agreed. “…laughter evolution tells us that humans lay on a continuum of vocal control capacities…being honed for 15 million years.”
They joined with Marina Davila-Ross to write an article for Nature. By comparing different types of laughter across species and social contexts, they speculate how laughter’s rhythm led to an ability to control vocalizations. In humans, laugh rhythms have become faster through time, and more controlled so, more purposefully variable.
They continue by noting that “[l]aughter … is not merely a social signal but an accessible model for understanding the deep evolutionary roots of human vocal communication.” (Speech) The complexity of moving from the spontaneous rhythms of laughter to the controlled, purposeful grunts, words, and phrases that carry meaning, is nothing short of remarkable.
The best laughter is spontaneous. It often erupts when humans encounter something unexpected. It’s often contagious and uncontrollable. It’s a form of social bonding. People tend to laugh more when we’re in a group than when we are alone. And laughter can work as a signal to let a person know we want to connect with them. We even pretend to laugh with someone to gain their trust, but fake laughter, even when well done, even when we’re unaware we’re doing it, is easy to detect.
But why do we laugh? It’s been said that laughter is the best medicine, and the Mayo Clinic documents long and short term benefits of laughter including stress relief, pain relief, immune system improvement, increased oxygen to improve organ functions including the brain, and heart. And a good laugh releases endorphins to improve our mood. Here's a great article on laughter’s health benefits.
Once, when I explained a joke to my brother after he told me didn’t get it, he said “if you have to explain a joke, you probably shouldn’t have told it.” He said it in the nicest way.
So what is funny? Real people study humor. Jonathan Beber, the lead researcher in a study on humor, named nine different types. Probably with a straight face, too. Which one(s) tickle your funny bone?
Physical humor (slapstick) involves physicality. Slipping on a banana peel or Mister Magoo, the Three Stooges. Clowns.
Self-deprecating humor is used by stand-up comedians. They make fun of themselves to earn a laugh (or guffaw). Also internet memes.
Surreal humor is weird, silly, absurd. Monty Python.
Improvisational humor is spontaneous. Made up on the spot like “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
Wit-Wordplay is twisted language, including puns and Dad jokes.
Topical humor is based on current events. A spin pop-culture, politics, powerful people. Think “Saturday Night Live.”
Observational humor makes fun of everyday life. “Funniest Home Videos” can overlap with Physical Humor.
Bodily humor is always funny. It’s gross-out jokes at their worst. (best?) Does anyone outgrow these?
Dark humor usually involves finding the funny in a serious situation. Like the character in Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses who says (as he plunges to Earth in a malfunctioning parachute, “We must find the levity in the gravity of the situation.” (Some overlap with Wit-Wordplay)
So who would be brave enough to tickle a gorilla? My best guess is a smart scientist who knows how to find joy in work that combines important discoveries with serious fun. If that still feels a little too scary, maybe it’s someone whose job is defining types of humor. Try to do that with a straight face!
I’m still reading The Secret War Against Hate by Steven J. Ross (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2026). It’s seriously scary. Knowing our government has been opaque on so many issues dealing with hatred, violence, and organized crime for so long is anything but reassuring. Not sure I’ll finish this one, even though I know how important it is to be as aware as possible.
Be curious! (and tell a good joke)
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