Laughter Research

The main focus of my conversation with Prof. Billig was the topic of his book Laughter and Ridicule: Towards a Social Critique of Humour (Published in association with Theory, Culture & Society) in which he explores the important role which ridicule and laughter play in shaping social behaviours. In his book, Michael takes a critical approach to the topics of laughter and humour and he questions the common assumptions which are made, in particular by popular and academic psychology.

Steve Cummins is an author, a broadcaster, a stand-up comedian, as well as being the resident host in the Laughter Lounge, Dublin's premier comedy venue. In this podcast episode (which was recorded in my kitchen - hence the echo) myself and Steve chat about his relationship with laughter and comedy and Steve proves that he can hold a conversation without cursing...much.

Susan Cross is a director of and a partner in a company called TellTale. TellTale is a company which helps the management and staff of cultural and heritage sites to create days out, which visitors to the sites will remember and want to return to. 

Susan's consultancy, mentoring and advisory service in this area has resulted in her becoming one of the best known specialist in the field of enhanced visitor experience in the U.K. as well as in Ireland. Susan's extensive experience has resulted in her having a keen eye for the critical factors which make visits to heritage sites memorable and enjoyable experiences. 

One of those factors happens to be laughter. Susan has blogged on the effective use of laughter in enhancing customer experiences and she shares her knowledge with me in today's episode. 

Albert Nerenberg, director of the documentary 'Laughology' is today's guest. Since the Laughology movie, which is the main topic of discussion in today’s episode, Albert has continued to embrace laughter and he is a regular international speaker and presenter on the topic of laughter. So, enjoy the episode and please remember to comment on the shownotes page, which can be found at laughterresearch.com/laughologist

Laughter Yoga is a very interesting phenomenon from a scientific perspective, because it’s so challenging to study in a rigorous way. There are various reasons for this, which I get into in greater detail in this episode. I also delve into some of the existing research on the subject and I ask, to what extent is the laughter aspect of Laughter Yoga the primary factor in promoting changes in people's well-being, when compared to 'non-laughter' exercise programmes?

Daniel J Lewis is the host of 'The Ramen Noodle - Clean Comedy Podcast', in addition to being the host of the award winning show 'The Audacity to Podcast'. Daniel explains how he uses laughter in his life to overcome challenges and he offers advise to listeners as to how they might invite more laughter into their life, as well as the lives of their loved ones. 

We discuss the challenges of competing against explicit comedy podcasts and how Daniel compares the laughter which is obtained through unoffensive means as being akin to a nice slow roast, while a quick crude laugh is more like a microwave meal. In Daniel's opinion, it's quicker and easier, but it doesn't offer as much quality. 

Today's guest is Niall Mulvey, principal of St. Brendan's National school in the beautiful seaside town of Loughshinny, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Niall has been working in Loughshinny for 25+ years and has always embraced laughter in the classroom. In this episode we explore how to combine laughter and learning as well as the joys of working with children.

Niall explains how, once children understand the parameters of acceptable behaviour, laughter can enhance the educational and social experience for the children and teachers alike.

Lynn discusses her book, Seriously Laugh: The life you save might be your own. She summarises her favourite tips on how to bring laughter into your life and she tells me about her work to bring laughter to the elderly through her 'Patch Works' foundation. I also learn about her crowd funding project, to help her complete her PhD in psychology - specialising in the study of laughter as a tool to enhance well-being. 

We discuss Lynn's approach to laughter, while serving in the U.S. Navy and how she helped her colleagues to de-stress through a simple, yet effective strategy. We ask whether the causal factors in the reported psychological benefits of laughter yoga are predominantly social

Paul Weeler is co-founder and co-director of an hilarious clothing apparel and merchandise company called 'Life Is Crap'. Paul tells me about how a chance incident, whilst trapped in a British Pub, due to a 2cm snowfall, led to the brainwave of creating a company to parody the popular U.S. brand 'Life Is Good'. Paul describes how the company has evolved and how he takes the company motto 'Life is crap and laughter is the cure' to heart, putting it into action in his daily life.  

In addition to being Assistant Professor in Sociology at London School of Economics, Sam Friedman is a comedy reviewer and publisher of his own arts review magazine 'Fest'. Sam describes what he has learned from his experiences, both as a reviewer and as a researcher at the internationally acclaimed Edinburgh comedy festival. Amongst other things, he tells me about comedy snobbery, why attending some comedy gigs is like sitting an exam and why some people think that laughing is not befitting of them.