Is there a language of laughter?
Do we all laugh at the same things or is there a language to learn first?
Laugh and the world laughs with you, or so you might think. But watch any good comedian on TV by yourself and chances are you’ll laugh a lot less than if you were sat in a lively comedy crowd watching the same comedian in the flesh.
But why is that? Do people from different cultures and corners of the world all laugh at the same things? These are questions raised by CrowdScience listener Samuel in Ghana who wonders why he’s always cracking up more easily than those around him. Presenter Caroline Steel digs into whether it’s our personality, the people around us, or the atmosphere of the room that determines how much we giggle, following neuroscience and psychology on a global trail in search of a good laugh.
Producer: Richard Walker
Presenter: Caroline Steel
[Image: Two Women laughing. Credit: Getty Images]
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Broadcasts
- Fri 16 Sep 2022 19:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Sat 17 Sep 2022 01:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Europe and the Middle East
- Sun 18 Sep 2022 01:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Mon 19 Sep 2022 03:32GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Australasia, South Asia & East Asia only
Podcast
-
CrowdScience
Answering your questions about life, Earth and the universe