Why do we laugh?
Brain's Happy Alarm
Why do we laugh?
You're sitting with friends when someone trips over nothing, flails dramatically, and lands safely on the couch. Everyone bursts out laughing — including the person who fell. But why? What just happened inside your brain and body to turn a stumble into giggles?
Here's the surprise: laughter is one of your brain's oldest tools, older than language itself. Animals laugh too — rats chirp when you tickle them, dogs pant in play-giggles, and chimps make breathy hoots during wrestling matches. Your ancient ancestors were laughing millions of years before they could say a single word.
