Why Laughter Is a Human Superpower | Stress, Love, Loneliness & Your Brain | Prof Sophie Scott

This week I'm joined by Professor Sophie Scott, neuroscientist, stand-up comedian and Deputy Director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, and someone who has dedicated her career to one of the most underrated forces in human life, laughter.

We explore the science of laughter, why it matters more than we think, and what it is actually doing to our brains, our bodies and our relationships.

Professor Sophie Scott is a Fellow of the Royal Society and one of the UK's leading voices on the neuroscience of laughter and communication. She has been named among the UK's top 100 scientists and is known for making complex science accessible and joyful including through her own stand-up comedy. She has spent decades studying why humans laugh, when we laugh and what happens in the brain when we do.

What we explore together:

-Why laughter is a social behaviour first and a response to humour second

-What rats, chimpanzees and cows can teach us about why we laugh

-What laughter actually does to the brain and body and why it is so good for us

-Why we are 30 times more likely to laugh with other people than alone

-The difference between fake laughter and real laughter and how your brain knows the difference

-Why laughter is one of the most powerful tools we have for connection and resilience

-What stand-up comedy taught a neuroscientist about human behaviour

Love, Sarah Ann 💛

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:55 What is laughter, emotion or something else entirely

05:54 Why rats laugh and what that tells us about humans

09:07 The social function of laughter across species

12:00 What happens in the brain when we laugh

15:04 Why we are 30 times more likely to laugh with others

18:00 Real laughter vs fake laughter and how we tell the difference

21:02 What laughter does to your body physically

24:08 The link between laughter and pain relief

27:04 Why comedians are often the most serious people in the room

30:05 How Sophie became a stand-up scientist

33:02 What comedy taught her about the science of laughter

36:00 Laughter and resilience through difficult times

39:07 Can you train yourself to laugh more

42:00 The dark side of laughter and when it goes wrong

45:08 Laughter and embarrassment

48:00 Why we laugh at inappropriate moments

51:07 The neuroscience of humour

54:06 Gender differences in laughter and comedy

57:07 Laughter in relationships and what it signals

60:00 How laughter changes as we age

63:02 The link between laughter and memory

66:04 Can laughter actually make you healthier

69:08 Laughter and mental health

72:00 The science behind laughing gas

75:02 Final thoughts, every day is all there is