Wednesday 10 April 2013

What makes you laugh?

Laughing does clever things in the brain that makes us feel better - as any child can tell you. Watch a toddler - he or she will launch into giggles at every opportunity. And their laughter is infectious - we have to join in.

Which set me thinking - is it the contagion of laughing, the fact that we are doing it together, that makes the difference? I live alone, and rarely laugh out loud when I'm on my own. Something has to be hilarious to set me off on a guffaw by my solitary fireside. Would I be more inclined to giggle if there were someone else watching, or listening, or reading with me?

So I've a little experiment. Here is a clip which always, even when I'm alone, makes me crease up. I think it's the sound of other people helpless with laughter that gets me going - rather than anything to do with the comment that set them off.

It's an audio-clip (and about cricket, but please don't let that put you off. Indeed, it is almost the point - if you know nothing about cricket but this still makes you laugh, then that confirms my suspicions!)

So - does this make you laugh? (If the link won't connect, it will work if you cut and paste it into an address bar.)

http://cricketcrowd.com/displayvideo.php?ccvideo=2443

And, if this doesn't make you laugh, what does?

7 comments:

  1. It made me smile broadly - but I am on my own in my study.

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  2. Brillliant!! I recall trying to explain cricket to some American friends!! The same ones that, when my singer husband sang them the good old Victorian ballad: Come into the garden Maud, asked whether a 'garden maud' was a kind of shed. See, that's the sort of thing that makes me laugh.

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  3. I wondered if it was the one where they said, "the Batsman's Holding. The bowler's Willie." And then had to be rescued by the BBC main studio as they were both helpless. Back to your clip. It made me smile but Mr A was in the room and was laughing out loud. I think that just means that I'm a miserable so and so but it is a rare event for me to laugh loudly at things. I did last week, I'm ashamed to say, laugh out loud at Mrs Brown's Boys.

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  4. I can't watch at the moment, but will asap, Jo. I often laugh when I'm reading, alone or otherwise. But then maybe that's because I imagine I'm with the people in my books! Back later!

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  5. Yes it made me laugh.Laughing is contagious.If I'm watching This Morning on tv and holly and Phil start giggling at something stupid Then I'm away with it too.
    When I was 18 and worked in a nursey with 3-5 yr olds we were given into trouble by Matron for laughing too much so we decided not to laugh at all.You can guess how long that lasted, everytime we looked at each other we fell into giggles and got into trouble all over again. Can you guess what my L post it? I laughed when I looked at yours.

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  6. It's good to know I'm not the only one to chortle at this (or, at least, to smile, Ros). Not sure what it proves, but hey ho - we felt better for a giggle anyway!

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  7. It made me smile but not laugh, and yet I laughed today at a short anecdote I read. I think that was because my son was in the room.

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