muscles used in laughter

Laughter can sometimes be seen as a medicine, with no price or prescription needed! Not only does laughing decress blood pressure, strengthen the immune system and improve breathing but it also reduces pain and releases stress. When we laugh fifteen of our facial muscles contract and we start to breathe irregularly, often sruggling for air and in some people, their tear ducts become activated.

Many factors of a person determine what they do and dont find funny, the three most common are Age, Level of Intelligence and maturity. However psychologists have come to the conclusion that we dont always laugh because we find something funny or humerous. We also laugh when we feel nervous, happy, tense or excited and it is known that the sound of someone laughing makes people laugh, this is why it is common for the speaker to laugh as then the listener will laugh and the speaker will feel comfortable that they have got the response they had hoped for.

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f02/web2/mscottweathers.html
http://www.therapyatwork.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=1

sounds of laughter!

Different Humour around the world

Research has shown that  americans and canadians find jokes humerous when they contain a superior person mocking an individual.
In New Zealand, Britain and Australia people prefer jokes that involve word plays, which are usually mischievious.

Europians like jokes about death or other serious topics associated with stress.

Research shows that Germany stands out as one of the only countries that enjoys a wide variety of different jokes and europians were found to be the easiest group of people to amuse.

The irish humour is quite different to countries like the united states as irish jokes are usually based on stereotypes of the irish people.