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