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laugh it is one of the best social glues, but it is also one of the most despised. In fact, laughter is an excellent predictor of the quality of interpersonal relationships and can immediately reveal to us whether or not a person likes us. But it is not always easy to find someone who makes us laugh, even after a long time and in the worst moments. So, if you have found such a person, don't let them get away.
We tend to think that laughter is related to jokes and a sense of humor. We think we laugh because we like something. However, Robert Provine, a psychologist at the University of Maryland, found that laughter hides something else. We actually laugh the most when we are surrounded by friends - in fact, his research has revealed that we are 30 times more likely to laugh at a joke when in the company of other people. If we are alone, the chances that a joke will make us laugh decrease, but if we are among friends, we increase the chances of laughing at things that in other contexts would not be so nice. Therefore, laughing is not a reaction, as we tend to think. but a form of communication that aims to connect with others and let them see that we understand them. In fact, laughing has been shown to be highly contagious. Thanks to brain scans it has been seen that our brain responds to another person's laughter by immediately activating the facial muscles that make us smile.
The mood has evolved into an indicator of our interest in others. One theory suggests that when we find ourselves in certain social contexts, we risk little jokes to test our level of acceptance. If we like us it is likely that people laugh naturally, otherwise they will smile in a forced way or not at all because when there is no real interest, laughter does not come spontaneously. just a way to break the ice, but also to know if they like us and if we arouse interest. The same is true for already established relationships, with friends or partner, laughing together is an indicator that each member of the group feels satisfied in the company of others.This is confirmed by a study conducted by the University of Berkeley, which found that relationships are more lasting when both members are able to make each other laugh. These psychologists asked one member of the couple to tackle a complicated problem for the other. So they saw that even though many argued, when one member made the other laugh, not only did they both feel better immediately, but they also reported higher levels of satisfaction in the relationship and tended to be together longer. exchange of laughter does not happen in a conscious way. Our unconscious uses humor and a smile to determine the degree of interest we arouse in the other person, and it may even feel rejected.
Laughing also helps you make new friends. In fact, it makes people open up more easily. Psychologists at University College London recruited 112 people who did not know each other and showed them a video as a couple. Some couples saw a play, others golf instruction, and others a very relaxing nature documentary. Psychologists rated how the participants laughed during the screening. Then the participants had to write a message to the other person to get him to know them better. Interestingly, people who had laughed together were more likely to share personal information.The explanation lies not simply in the shared positive experience, but in the physiology behind the smile. Basically, when we laugh, the production of endorphins is activated, which is why we feel more relaxed and closer to strangers. Therefore, laughter makes us more open and more likely to share personal information. It also helps us break down the initial emotional block, breaking down social barriers and helping to create deeper emotional bonds.
Someone said that "a good friend is the one who makes you laugh when you thought you would never do it again". Finding a person with whom we can laugh is difficult because it is not simply a sense of humor, but the emotional bond that is established in depth. So if you have found someone like this, hold on to it, because it is a real treasure.
