Scientists find laughter is the spark that holds society together,

A good laugh may not only lift your mood, but can make you more cooperative and altruistic towards strangers, according to a new study.

Laughter, a universal human behavior, has been shown in previous studies to act as a “social lubricant” and promote group cohesiveness. In this new study, researchers tested whether this sense of closeness would promote altruistic behavior.

Study participants watched either a funny or a serious video, and then played a game with strangers to see how laugher affected the balance between group interest and self-interest during the game-play. . .

The researchers found that laughter made strangers more likely to invest in the group fund, and so increased their sense of altruism. . .

The study also suggested that laughter increases endorphin levels, which are known to be part of the body's mood-lifting chemistry.

Laughter may have had evolutionary importance by promoting group bonding, which could have enabled our early ancestors to work together to cope with a hostile environment, van Vugt said.



Will it always follow then that engaged negativity in a movie will cause people to huddle apart from one another? I can certainly think of some famous movies that have left me a lot less interested in speaking to strangers.