Remember that scene in “Mary Poppins” where first Ed Wynn, and then Dick Van Dyck and Julie Andrews, and finally the Banks children all float to the ceiling while drinking tea and singing, “I love to laugh”?
Who doesn’t love to laugh? People enjoy laughing even if it doesn’t make them float to the ceiling. Scientists say laughing is good for us, releasing endorphins and increasing blood flow not unlike a vigorous workout. It’s a stress reliever and both sign and improver of mental and physical resilience. It boosts our immune systems and gives us an overall sense of wellbeing.
And while the kind of laughter we get from watching a comedian is fine, people laugh most often in conversation with one another. It builds social bonds. It connects us to one another, in part because it’s contagious. And here’s an interesting fact: women laugh 126% more than men. (Hmmm.)
Laughing with–the opposite of laughing at—is one of our earliest social interactions, from peek-a-boo to elementary school knock-knock jokes and riddles. It’s not really about humor as much as it is about human relationships. What’s to make fun of?