Abstract:

Laughter is an important communicative signal in human society. Researches on laughter focused on the fields of evolution and social interaction. From the viewpoint of evolution, laughter can help infant survive and improve adults’ sexual attraction. Meanwhile, it contributes to one’s physical and psychological health. From the perspective of social interaction, laughter can help human beings control aggression, enhance cooperation and promote favorable interpersonal relationship. Future studies should effectively distinguish laughter from humor, concentrate more on the cerebral mechanism of laughter, explore cross-cultural consistency and differences on laughter, and look into applied research and interdisciplinary cooperation.

Key words: laughter, cerebral mechanism, evolution, social interaction, humor