第1456期:Why do we laugh？

What makes you laugh the most?

什么最让你笑？

While rib-tickling jokes and hilarious videos certainly do make us giggle, most of the time we laugh because of something much simpler: being with other people.

虽然令人发痒的笑话和热闹的视频确实让我们咯咯笑，但大多数时候我们笑是因为更简单的事情：与其他人在一起。

So much so that we are 30 times more likely to laugh when we're with others, according to a study by neuroscientist Robert Provine from the University of Maryland.

根据马里兰大学神经科学家罗伯特·普罗文的一项研究，当我们与他人在一起时，我们笑的可能性要高出 30 倍。 

"When you're alone, laughter basically disappears," he told Smithsonian Magazine.“

当你独自一人时，笑声基本上消失了，”他告诉史密森尼杂志。

So, what is it about other people that makes us split our sides?

那么，是什么让我们分裂了其他人呢？

The answer lies deep within our brains, and in how we form communities.

答案深藏在我们的大脑中，以及我们如何形成社区。

Laughter is a social emotion that we use to "make and maintain social bonds," says Professor Sophie Smith from University College London in an article for the BBC. 

笑声是我们用来“建立和维持社会纽带”的一种社会情感，伦敦大学学院的索菲史密斯教授在 BBC 的一篇文章中说。

It reassures people that situations are non-threatening. Those who laugh frequently are also often more popular. 

它向人们保证，情况是没有威胁的。经常笑的人也往往更受欢迎。

Even in a normal conversation we laugh seven times every 10 minutes, she says.

她说，即使在正常的谈话中，我们也每 10 分钟笑七次。

Professor Smith also explains that laughter is very different to speech. 

史密斯教授还解释说，笑声与言语非常不同。

It is non-verbal: the wheezing and snorting sounds are produced by air being pushed out quickly at high pressure, without involving the teeth or lips. 

它是非语言的：喘息声和鼻息声是由高压下快速排出的空气产生的，不涉及牙齿或嘴唇。

These sounds are the kind we make when in a state of heightened emotion.

这些声音是我们在情绪高涨时发出的声音。

In this respect, laughter sounds more like an animal call than human language. 

在这方面，笑声听起来更像是动物的叫声，而不是人类的语言。

This theory is backed up by tests which show the part of the brain responsible for laughter is not the neocortex used in language, but an 'older' area we share with mammals.

这一理论得到了测试的支持，这些测试表明负责笑声的大脑部分不是用于语言的新皮层，而是我们与哺乳动物共享的“较老”区域。

Indeed, chimpanzees, gorillas and even rats all enjoy a good chortle, especially when being tickled.

事实上，黑猩猩、大猩猩甚至老鼠都喜欢开怀大笑，尤其是在被挠痒痒的时候。 

Just be careful when you tickle a gorilla, or you might end up laughing on the other side of your face… 

挠大猩猩的时候要小心，否则你可能会笑到另一边……

(Did you laugh at that gag? Or did it just make you groan?)

（你有没有嘲笑那个插科打诨？或者它只是让你呻吟？）

词汇表

rib-tickling 令人捧腹大笑的
hilarious 滑稽的
giggle 咯咯地笑
neuroscientist 神经科学家
split your sides 笑裂腰身，笑破肚皮
social bond 社会关系
non-threatening 不具威胁性的
non-verbal 非语言的
wheeze 发出喘息声
snort 用鼻子哼
heightened emotion 高度激动的情绪
back up 证实，有证据支持
neocortex 大脑新皮层
chortle 哈哈大笑
laugh on the other side of your face （口语比喻）转喜为忧、乐极生悲
gag 玩笑、俏皮话
groan 哼了一声