Ha!: The Science of When We Laugh and Why [Kindle Edition] Author: Scott Weems | Language: English | ISBN:
B00ET7IZFW | Format: PDF, EPUB
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An entertaining tour of the science of humor and laughter
Humor, like pornography, is famously difficult to define. We know it when we see it, but is there any way to figure out what we really find funny? In this fascinating investigation into the science of humor and laughter, neuroscientist Scott Weems uncovers what’s happening in our heads when we giggle, guffaw, or double over with laughter. Beginning with the premise that humor arises from inner conflict in the brain, Weems explores such issues as why surprise is so important for humor, why computers are terrible at recognizing what’s funny, and why cringe-worthy stereotypes make us laugh the hardest. From the role of insult jokes to the benefit of laughing for our immune system responses, Ha! reveals why humor is so idiosyncratic, and why how-to books alone will never help us become funnier people. Packed with the latest research, amusing anecdotes (and even a few jokes), Ha! is a delightful tour of why humor is so important to our daily lives.
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- File Size: 479 KB
- Print Length: 258 pages
- Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0465031706
- Publisher: Basic Books (March 4, 2014)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00ET7IZFW
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,054 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #2
in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Doctors & Medicine - #3
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Behavioral Sciences > Cognitive Science - #3
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Science > Behavioral Sciences > Cognitive Psychology
- #2
in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Doctors & Medicine - #3
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Behavioral Sciences > Cognitive Science - #3
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Science > Behavioral Sciences > Cognitive Psychology
The book investigates humor as our brain's response to conflict or confusion and looks at what humor is and what purpose it serves. The author provides a good mixture of science and amusing jokes and stories that makes this a very interesting read. I found it not only informative, but also entertaining.
By MD
While author Scott Weems is a cognitive neuroscientist, the book is more psychology and sociology than biochemistry. Indeed, aside from some mention of brain anatomy and the neurotransmitter dopamine, no other familiarity of biology is necessary to enjoy this wide-angle treatise. The book allows us to examine what we know or thought we knew about humor. It reminds us how our sense of humor changes as we age, how different ethnic groups regard jokes, how men differ from women in appreciating certain jokes. He analyzes the structure and function of jokes and humor and relates many psychological findings. Merely 200 pages in length plus notes for the more scholarly, the reader is entertained by examples of humor and of recent historical events, as TV's Jeopardy! star Jennings's comments after being defeated by IBM's Watson supercomputer. We learn that rats 'laugh' (not in my laboratory when I had to inject them) and that the sound of dog laughter can calm a kennel. Why some people enjoy horror movies and others don't is explained. Other than some rare anomaly, laughter is indeed a health-inducing process, and this too is described. Political outlook and a sense of humor correlate. (I will leave you do find whether directly or inversely.) Thus, while being amused by the various forms of humor, puns, absurdities, the breaking of taboos, surprises, and clever jokes, the reader will learn about one aspect of consciousness-mind and brain processes that makes life enjoyable. As pointed out, humor is subversive. There are some life lessons here.
By Dr. Debra Jan Bibel
TOP 500 REVIEWER
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