A richer understanding

摘要

This year's London Lectures opened with Professor Sophie Scott (University College London), who provided a fascinating and rib-tickling insight into the psychology and neuroscience of laughter. The audience was soon in hysterics as Scott used the famous clip of cricket commentators Johnston and Agnew giggling, to show that laughter is a distinct, unmissable and universally recognised set of sounds that is highly infectious. She also talked us through the physical changes that happen as someone becomes quite literally helpless with laughter, for example how impossible it is to breathe or talk normally. But, she asked, what is the function and purpose of laughter? Scott believes that it is a social glue that binds us together - think of the joy of tickling a young baby and seeing them chuckle - and that it even gives us clues as to who we like and don't like, for example, that dreaded colleague whose earnest jokes just never make you laugh. Her views on laughter were beautifully summarised by Victor Borge's quote that 'Laughter is the shortest distance between two people'.