Laughter in the Frontal Lobe

We process humor through a complex pathway of brain activity that includes three main brain components. Results of a study indicate that the humor processing pathway includes part of the frontal lobe brain area which is important for cognitive processing. also the supplementary motor area that's important for movement, and nucleus accumbens which is associated with pleasure.

"When Should You Insult Yourself?"

This is another one of those boring articles I found. (Just kidding, actually it is slightly interesting) 'When Should You Insult Yourself?' by John Tierney, found in Putting Ideas in Science to the Test at http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/when-should-you-insult-yourself/#more-353
This article is about when you are able to use self-depricating humor and when you shouldn't. I love this one quote in the article because I think it is too true, "The whole reason to watch a TV show is because it ends, if I wanted a long, boring story with no point to it, I got my life." Basically all this article taks about is when it is healthy to insult yourself and when it is dangerous for you to do so. In one point in the article Tierney writes, 'Would this make you seem more attractive? The answer, according to social scientists at the University of New Mexico, is that it works if your status is high enough.'
Basically, if your self-esteem is high enough and you are popular enough then using self-depricating humor is funny and healthy. Personally I use it a lot, even though I am probably in niether category but, to me at least, making fun of myself is funny and healthy. I think we all need to make fun of ourselves at least a few times a week if not in a day.
Lauren

More Laughter and the Brain

Heres some more information that I found during my research for laughter and the brain. The physiological study of laughter is called gelotology.

Relationship between laughter and the brain is not fully understood, but researchers are making progress. They have found that when people laugh the brain produces a regular electrical pattern. Heres how it works, within four tenths of a second of exposure to something that's funny and electrical wave moved through the cerebral cortex, largest part of the brain. If the wave took negative charge, laughter resulted. If the wave maintained a positive charge no response was given.

Research has shown that parts of the limbic system are involved in laughter in the brain. The limbic system system is a very important part of the brain that is involved in emotions and helps us with basic functions that are nessecary for survival. The two structures in the limbic system that are involved in producing laughter are the amygdala and the hippocampus.

Humor Style and Off-color Humor

This post is about two articles I found and my opinions after reading them. One is called 'What's your Humor Style?' by Louise Dobson, found in Psychology Today at http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/2006/whats-your-humor-style
So what I found from this article is that there are four main types of humor styles, or at least four that Dobson wrote about. This article was from Psychology Today.
"Put-down humor, such as telling friends an embarassing story about another friend, is a socially acceptable way to deploy aggression and make others look bad so you look good. People who use bonding humor are fun to have around. When we admire someone who 'doesn't take himself too seriously.' this is the temperment we're talking about." The entire article talks about the different types of humor and how they affect people.
The second article is 'Off-color Humor Threatens Morality of Youth' by Ke Wang, found on the China Internet Information Center, on China.org
This article is about how adult humor or off-color humor, is affecting children and teens. This article helps with the question of humor in different cultures and different cultures styles of, and beliefs about, humor and its affects on society.
"Adult humor does harm to innocent teenagers. On August 22nd, a draft amendment to the Law on the Protection of Minors that went into effect in 1992 was submitted to China's legislature for a preliminary reading. The draft amendment would prohibit the production and sale of books, newspapers, audio-video products, computer games and cartoons with pornographic, violent, or disturbing content or gambling information to minors, for which offenders would face 'sever punishment'."
Now I agree that movies such as Gamer, 300, Taken, or cartoons such as Family Guy, the Simpsons, or Futurama, can have a dramatic effect on chidren but teens? I simply do not understand what the point of hiding violent and disturbing content from teens is. In many countries around the world teens are parents, either biologically or because their parents are no longer living and they take care of siblings. In many countries teens and children are in the middle of VIOLENT AND DISTURBING wars. Many children are involved, in some way or another, in crime, either as victems or as criminals. Personally I think it is stupid to hide the violent things occuring in the world from teens when they will be the ones to grow up, lead, vote, make important decisions affecting many, when they are adults. Hiding violence from them until you deem them old enough and then thrusting it on them and saying 'well what are you going to do', just seems ridiculous.
Again just my opinions and articles I found. Lauren

Effects of humor.

Humor can have positive and negative effects on your states of mind. It could cause emotional revelation, or even utter despair. The combination's of normal and violet humor effects your mind differently. It all depends on your mind set at the time. If you are in a wary state of mind, you humor could be lessened. If you're surroundings are more serious, so could you humor. Things around you, very much effect how you take things on the humorous level. Your environment, who you are with, what you are doing, everything takes part in the process of trying to decipher your humor level, what it takes for your mind to decide if something is funny.

Reactions on a psychological level

There is a certain state in which triggers a reaction, causing laughter. Humor occurs when things are normal, while at the same time there is something wrong. You usually laugh, at the idea of others being caused pain. A lot of humor comes from an emotional "pain" that doesn't hurt. Certain things can trigger the laughter. It all depends on what a person finds funny, at the time. If you are not connected some way to the topic on a psychological aspect, you could either hind it humorous, or not.

The states of humor are three major ones; Playful, Serious, and Bad.

Playful humor consists of cheerful, and hilarious mind sets. Serious consists of earnestness, pensiveness, and soberness. And Bad, consists of Sadness, melancholy, and ill-humor.

Sad or angered might not always work on a humorous level.
If your state of mind, is on the "Fritz" your humor varies. States of mind play a major role, in how humor phases you.

Laughter and the Brain

The role of laughter in the brain is not fully understood, but there is much research in this area.

1. The left side of the cortex figured out the words and structures of the material.

2. The frontal lobe, which is also involved in social and emotional responses goes into action.

3. The right side of the cortex carries out intellectual analysis that's required to understand the joke.

4. Brainwave activity spreads to the sensory processing areas of the occipital lobe.

5. Stimulation of the motor sections bring out the physical response which is laughter.

Various Degrees of Humor, in your state of mind.

Degrees of humor cannot be measured in one mean. If you are raised differently then your friends, you may find different things funny, compared to what they think. If you know the subject, the humor is based off of, then you might find it humorous on a different level then the other people, who aren't as familiar to the topic. When you are more involved with the idea of the joke, you will get different meanings, then others. For example, some people, who work with a handicapped person, might not take a joke, about said illness.
My topics I want to discuss, shall be introduced, in later posts.

"What's So Funny About A Dead Terrorist?"

Okay so for my research project I used this article, with a citation of course. This article was about why people think that a dead suicide bomber is hilarious. As this blog is about the psychology of humor, I used this article as a great reference in people's different senses of humor and how different people respond to different types of humor.
Alright so Paul Lewis says, "After a particularly offensive wisecrack, he exclaims, 'I'm killing, so to speak.' an expression that highlights his utter harmlessness. This comic appeal in the U.S. of this diminutive terrorist whose greatest threat is an offensive joke suggests how much we have relaxed since the period immediately after 9/11."
This I think is a brilliant point to bring in in this blog, as it shows that most in the U.S. have a good sense of humor and are able to joke about things that are painful.
Achmed, the dead terrorist is hilarious because he is ridiculous. He isn't actually threatening but says,"I keel you!' This type of humor appeals to many.
On the other hand, I think that one of Jeff Dunham's other puppets, Walter, is funny because he reminds us a lot of ourselves or of someone we know. He loves beer, wants to protect his country and is (for the most part) rather conservative. To many he's just another old redneck. When we're laughing at him, we're essentially laughing at ourselves or someone we love.
I think Jeff Dunham is so funny to so many people because in all of his puppets there is something we can relate to and find funny.
Mostly just my opinion! Lauren