What Makes Us Laugh?

American writer Ambrose Bierce described laughter as “an interior convulsion, producing a distortion of the features and accompanied by inarticulate noises.” He went on to say, “It is infectious and, though intermittent, incurable.”

Join stand-up comedian Mark Stevenson, psycho-physiologist Dr Harry Witchel and neuroscientist Professor Richard Fracowiak for an evening of laughter, its causes and and effects.

Perhaps one of the most esoteric of human behaviours, this event explores the psychology, neurology and sociology of laughter and amusement. Will being funnier make you more attractive to the opposite sex? Why can’t you tickle yourself? Why are underpants funnier than t-shirts? Find out what happens when you literally can’t stop laughing. See the world’s first genuinely scientific laugh-o-meter in action. Find out which animals (besides humans) laugh and why. Witness the generation of new jokes live during the evening and find out how men and women are different when it comes to the appreciation of humour. Learn why laughter really is ‘the best medicine’ and find out some surprising things about the use of socks in scientific research.

An evening that promises to be as hilarious as it is enlightening, the European Dana Alliance of the Brain presents a heady mix of mirth and illumination.

Event organised by:
The European Dana Alliance for the Brain

Speakers

Mark Stevenson, comedian
Harry Witchel, Bristol University

Chair:
Richard Frackowiak, University College London