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Your Baby's Amazing Brain
The exhibition, Your Baby’s Amazing Brain is a 48-foot, traveling, walk-thru, interactive mobile exhibition designed to showcase the importance of developing minds in babies, infants and toddlers from birth up to age 5. Exhibition Update: Visit us in Buena Park September 24th - 26th. 11:00 am - 6:00 pm. The Buena Park Community Center. Click here for more information
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In today's hectic world, it's important to remember to laugh. This article is being reprinted to help us to remember how it helps us in the classroom and in life!
Human beings are not the only creatures that laugh. Researchers have recorded and interpreted animal sounds which, when analyzed, suggest that as many as 65 species of social animals “laugh” for social reasons such as bonding. Research into human laughter is scarce, mostly because the process is so complex and this complexity confounds the tools used to measure various elements of the process, such as MRIs, CT scans, facial recognition to name a few. However, though limited, there is research available regarding the chemistry/biology of laughter and social elements of shared laughter. Evidently, laughing alone is hard to do and very hard to evaluate. What happens when we laugh? Good question! Research indicates that laughter stimulates parts of the brain associated with emotions, memory and social interactions. This stimulation results in a chemical reaction in the brain similar to those created by pleasurable activities such as eating a great dessert or dancing to beautiful music. Laughter increases oxygen intake and relieves tension. Laughter improves catecholamine levels, which increase mental functioning (Fry, 1984); and helps the functioning of both hemispheres of the brain (Derks, Bogart, Bartolome-Rull & Gillikin, 1997). Strean The old saying “Laughter is the best medicine” is true in many respects: it may not beat penicillin in curing an infection, but it enables the infected to maintain a positive outlook necessary to follow the doctor’s orders. Laughter: Antidote to Stress By activating neural pathways of emotions such as joy and mirth, laughter can improve your mood and make your physical and emotional response to stress less intense. For example, laughing may help control brain levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, similar to what antidepressants do. By minimizing your brain’s responses to threats, it limits the release of neurotransmitters and hormones like cortisol that can wear down your cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune systems over time. Laughter’s kind of like an antidote to stress, which weakens these systems and increases vulnerability to diseases. From: The Science of Laughter and Its Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional Power. Why do we laugh? We are hard-wired to laugh. Isn’t the laughter of an infant one of the most wonderful sounds in the world? Babies are not taught to laugh; they are born to laugh. Their laughter develops muscles; increases upper body strength; coordinates complex facial muscles; and activates multiple regions of the brain, such as the motor cortex, frontal lobe, and limbic system, which strengthen neural connections (brain development). 
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For over 2000 years, philosophers have developed theories to explain human laughter:
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Using laughter—for good
We’re glad you asked!
In the last few decades neuroscientists and social scientists have developed a body of research that validates the use of humor and laughter in teaching to facilitate and enhance learning. Today, we take for granted that the two most important elements of effective teaching are teacher-student connection and student engagement. Strean 
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Studies have shown that with humor builds and strengthens teacher-student connections which are essential for learning, retention, and engagement. Here are a few ways to bring humor into the kindergarten to university classroom:
P.S. The very young and the young at heart can learn from laughter. 
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Submitted by Cheryl Stewart, MOTAL Board Director SOURCES: Barker, L. (5/1/2017). The Science of Laughter – and Why It Also Has a Dark Side. Scientific American. The Science of Laughter--and Why It Also Has a Dark Side - Scientific American Caruana, F. (9/6/2017). Laughter as a Neurochemical Mechanism Aimed at Reinforcing Social Bonds: Integrating Evidence from Opioidergic Activity and Brain Stimulation. The Journal of Neuroscience 37(36):8581-8582. [PDF] Laughter as a Neurochemical Mechanism Aimed at Reinforcing Social Bonds: Integrating Evidence from Opioidergic Activity and Brain Stimulation | Semantic Scholar Fox, A. (5/19/2021). Dogs Do It, Birds Do It, and Dolphins Do It, Too. Here are 65 Animals That Laugh, According to Science. Smithsonian Magazine. Dogs Do It, Birds Do It, and Dolphins Do It, Too. Here Are 65 Animals That Laugh, According to Science | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine Gibson, J. (12/2020). The Science of Laughter and Its Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional Power. The Science of Laughter and Its Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional Power - Blue Zones Strean, W. (___). Evolving Toward Laughter in Learning. Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching |
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