Enough reasons to get serious about jokes
Baku, July 2 (AZERTAC). British scientists have uncovered how the human brain responds to jokes. By scanning the brains of 12 healthy volunteers, researchers from the British Medical Research Council have found that the reward areas in the brain light up to a much greater degree when processing jokes than when processing normal speech. This response increased in line with how funny the participants found each of the jokes. The funnier a joke, the more activity is seen in reward centers, specific neurons that create feelings of pleasure.
Mapping how the brain processes jokes and sentences shows how language contributes to the pleasure of getting a joke. This can be used for understanding how people who cannot communicate normally react to jokes. Knowing that a patient in coma can still experience pleasure and laugh, despite his/her adversity can be very important for the family and friends.
The findings are in tune with several earlier studies that confirm that laughter is one of the best medicines. One such research studied the effects of humour amongst medical professionals — who are high on the stress and emotional drain indicators. When asked about how they coped with patients and their families, medics agreed that humour was an effective balm. Other studies have shown that laughter improves the blood flow, reduces inflammations, strengthens cardiovascular health and increases immunity. It triggers hormones called `catecholamines` that heighten alertness and releases endorphins, the body`s natural painkillers. Sociologists have confirmed laughter is also a social lubricant, which welds people together and reduces tensions in the society. Psychologists say positive moods created by laughter inspire people to think and work more creatively. These are reasons enough to get a little serious about jokes.
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