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1、YHY DO YOU LAUGH?1 Why do we laugh? Because we find something funny ,most people would say. Robert Provine, a behavioral neurobiologist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, once thought so too. But then he and his students began wandering about the college campus notebooks in hand, recor
2、ding exactly what really made people laugh.为什么我们会笑？大部分的人都会说那是因为我们找到了一些有趣的事情。Robert Provine是Maryland大学的行为精神生物学家，他曾经也是这样认为的。但是他和他的学生们开始散步在大学校园里，手里拿着笔记本，准确地记下引人发笑的原因。2 Twelve hundred “laugh episodes” later, Provine was convinced that most laughter has little to do with jokes or funny stories. The vast
3、majority or laughs followed mundane statements(普通话语) such as “It was nice meeting you, too” or “Can I join you?”Only some 10 to 20 percent followed anything remotely recognisable（细微联系）as a punch line(妙句、关键句).So what are the majority of laughs actually about?记录下一千二百个“笑的事件”后，Provine相信大部分的笑与开玩笑和滑稽的故事没有
4、关联。绝大部分的笑是出现在像“遇到你很高兴”或是“我可以加入你们吗？”这样的普通话语之后。仅仅有百分之十至二十的笑是出现在和妙句有一点点联系的话语之后。既然如此绝大部分发笑的原因是什么呢？3 The search for an answer brings you face to face with (直面)problems that are at once both the bane and lifeblood of virtually all research into human emotions. You may think the social context of the emoti
5、on is obvious; but then you realize that people laugh when theyre nervous as well as amused, disappointed as well as joyous, and sometimes simply because someone else is laughing. 对这个答案的搜寻使得我们直面这样的问题：对人类情感好坏的研究。你可以想象情感的社会环境显而易见，但是你会意识到人们在他们紧张、高兴、失望、快乐时，甚至有时仅仅因为其它人在笑也会笑。4 You may also set out with th
6、e belief that the emotion has evolved into(发展为，演变为) something rather sophisticated（相当复杂的）, requiring the brains conscious（意识）, cognitive centers （认知中心） to respond to subtle（微妙的） social indications like punch lines; but then you realise that most people cannot will themselves to(强迫他们去做) laugh command
7、 or suppress an unwanted attack of the giggles. Laughter arises not from our conscious mind but from a primitive, precognitive part of our brain , says Provine. “We re talking about something thats very deep in our animal nature.”你也许开始相信情感已发展为某种相当杂的东西。要求大脑的变化，认知中心对像妙语这样的微妙的话语作出回应。然后你会认识到许多人无法使自己奉命发笑
8、或压制得住自然而然的笑。Provine说，笑并不是产生于我们的意识 ，而是产生于大脑中原始的超感官的那一部分。“我们讨论的是我们原始本性深处的那部分东西。”5 Provine is one of few researchers trying to go beyond anecdote（轶事） and speculation by looking at laughter as an animal behaviourist might study birdsong or a wolfs howl. He believes that , like birdsong, laughter functio
9、ns as some kind of social signal .And others would agree . Indeed ,studies have shown that people are thirty times more likely to laugh in social settings than when they are alone, in the absence of pseudo-social stimuli like television. Even nitrous oxide, or laughing gas , loses much of its power
10、if taken in solitude , says Willibald Ruch, a psychologist at the University of Dusseldorf.Provine是那些为数不多的不是凭轶事和主观臆测的科学家之一，他是像动物行为学家研究鸟叫和狼嚎那样来研究笑。他相信笑像鸟叫那样起着某些社会信号的作用。并且其它也相信这个，研究也表明，人们在社交场合比他们独处时多笑三十部，在缺少电视机这样的虚拟社会刺激物的情况下。甚至，氧化氮或是说笑气，也会失去它的作用，如果一个人在独处时吸入的话。6 To many researchers ,laughter is about s
11、trengthening social bonds. “Laughter occurs when people are comfortable with one another ,when they feel open and free. And the more laughter, the more bonding within the group,” says Mahadev Apte, a cultural anthropologist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. This feedback “loop” of bondin
12、g-laughter-more bonding, plus the desire not to be singled out（单单挑出） from the group, may explain why laughter is often contagious（触染的）sometimes dramatically （戏剧性的）so . In 1962, for example, an epidemic of laughter among schoolgirls in Tanganyika lasted for six months and forced officials to close sc
13、hools.对很多研究者来说，笑正在加强社会沟通与联系。“当人们舒适的与其它人在一起，当他们开放和自由的时间笑就会发生。笑得越多，彼此间的联系就越密。”Mahadev Apte说的。人们之间紧密联系会造成人们更多紧密的联系，这样环环相扣的循环，加上人们不愿意单单从组织上挑出的愿望，有助于解释笑是有传染性的，又非常的强。打个比方，在1962年，Tanganyika的一所学校的女孩子有流行性的笑病，大笑不止六个月，迫使当地的政府关闭了学校。7 The first human laughter , far back in ancient times, may have begun as a gest
14、ure of shared relief at the passing of some danger, says John Morreall , a philosopher at the University of South Florida in Tampa who also leads seminars （研究班）on humour in the workplace. “Its a signal that now we can relax,” he speculates. When someone laughs , muscles do（表强调） in fact relax through
15、out the body .Most people know the feeling of laughing so hard they have to hold onto something to keep from falling. Since this relaxation forbids the biological fight, laughter may be a signal of trust in ones companions-a ritual（程序，仪式） disarming（消除敌意的）, in effect. This would explain why sudden en
16、counters with old friends might prompt （引发）laughter designed to（旨在） reaffirm（重申） the social bond.John Morreall说人类发现首次笑可以追溯到原古时代，作为一个在危险过去时人们发出共同的如释重负时的标志出现的。John Morreall是佛罗里达南部一所大学的生物学家，他在工作的地方开办研究幽默的研究班。他指出，“笑是我们可以放松的信号”。当人们笑时，身体的全部肌肉确实会放松。大部分的人知道笑的厉害，他们会抓住一些东西以防止笑得摔倒。由于这种肌肉的放松使身体不可能发生戒备，笑是对同伴信任的标
17、志，是解除戒备的仪式。这要以解释为什么陌生人的逗乐不能使 人发笑。为什么与老朋友的偶遇往往会引发旨在增强社会联系的笑。8 Politicians and other public speakers understand the power of laughter to break down barriers（消除隔阂） and forge a connection with （建立联系） their audience. A large part of President John Kennedys charm came from his ability to make jokes at his
18、 own expense, says Morreall. By inviting the audience to join him in laughter, Kennedy bridged much of the social gap（消除隔阂）between his wealthy ,noble（尊贵的） status and ordinary voters. Almost every atter-dinner speaker opens with a joks for similar reason.政治家和演讲者知道笑的力量能消除隔阂并和观众建立联系。Morreall说肯尼迪总统很大部分魅
19、力是自嘲。通过让观众与他一起笑，肯尼迪消除了他富有、高贵的身份与普通选民之间的社会差异。几乎每次餐后演讲者以笑话作开场白是因为相似的原因。9 But laughter can exclude as well as include ,as another American president learnt to his cost（付了代价，吃了苦头） .During his term（任期） in office, Gerald Ford suffered a number of well-publicised（充分宣传的） misfortunes , including falling down
20、 the steps of the presidential plane. As a result , says Morreall, the public laughed at Ford , rather than with him . “Laughter often unites the group against the outsider ,”says Morreall.笑不仅仅增强联系也要可以让人排除在外，这是另一位美国总统付出代价意识到的。福特总统遭受许多大量大家都知道的不幸事件，包括他从总统的座机上摔下来。Morreall说，公众对福特的嘲笑不亚于他自己。“笑常常可以联合一个团体对抗
21、外来者”。10 Similarly, laughing when no one else does may also mark a person as an outsider. Stand-up comedians（单口相声演员） understand this risk land include indications in their routines（常规剧目）such as changes in intonation（语调、话语）to let the audience know when a laugh is expected ,says Jason Rutter ,a sociolo
22、gist at Salford University who studies comedians.同样的，只有一个人在笑其他人都不笑，这标志着这个人是外来者。单口相声演员知道这种风险，在他们常规剧目表演中往往会融入提示的话语，比如说语调的变化，让观众知道怎么时候笑，这是Jason Rutter说的。他是Salford大学研究喜剧的社会学家。11 Even telling a joke can be riskywhat if nobody laughs? That vulnerability may explain why studies repeatedly find that dominan
23、t individuals（地位高的人） , whether tribal （部落的） elders or workplace bosses, use humour more than subordinates（地位低的人）when the boss laughs, everyone laughs . In such cases controlling the laughter of a group becomes a way of exercising power（行驶权利） . “Theyre controlling the emotional climate of the group,”
24、 says Morreall.讲笑语也是很有风险的，如果没有人笑怎么办？有助于解释研究发现地位高的人，部落的长老或是工厂的老板比地位低的人更能动用幽默。当老板笑时，其它的人也都笑了。在这样的情况下，控制整个团队的笑成为一种行驶权利的方式。Morreall说，“他们实际上控制着整个团队的情感。”12 Such differences in the use of power may also account for （解释） an intriguing（有趣的） observation made by Provine and his researchers , and confirmed by m
25、ost , though not all ,of the other studies available. Listeners ,especially women , laugh almost half again as often when the speaker is male .This might reflect real differences in how men and women use laughter ,or it might merely show that men generally exercise greater power in society . No one
26、has done the carefully controlled study that would be needed to separate the two. One way to start , suggests Provine , might be to see whether listeners of both sexes laughed less at Margaret Thatchers jokes when she was Prime Minister than those of male leaders.笑在权利使用上的差异可以来解释Provine和他的研究者们所作出的发现，
27、被其它的一些研究所证实，虽然不是全部的。听众，尤其是女生，当演讲者是男性时与平常相比多笑50%。这可能所映男人和女人用笑时的差异，或者仅仅是表明男人在社会当中具有更大的权利。没有人在这个方面作严谨的研究将这两者分开。其中一个方法是看看男女观众在听撒切尔夫人讲笑话时，是不是比听其它男性讲笑话时笑得少。13 But the role of laughter is even more complex than this . People laugh not only when they feel good ,but in uncomfortable situations as well .Some
28、schizophrenics suffer from bouts of（一阵阵） pathological laughter .And they often report that this state is accompanied by a feeling of urgent danger ,together with a sense that they are unable to do anything about the threat.但是笑远比这复杂的多。人不仅感觉良好时会笑，不舒适时也会笑。一些精神分裂患者饱受阵阵病态的笑的折磨，而且他们常说这种状态伴随着危险的临近而出现，同时还伴随
29、着对这种威胁无能为力的担忧。14 But why laugh at all in such a case or when embarrassed or disappointed? Clearly ,says Provine , laughterlike other human behaviour must have evolved to change the behaviour of others .After all ,it is difficult to see any evolutionary advantage（进化的优势） in expressing an emotion for i
30、ts own sake .In an embarrassing or otherwise threatening situation ,laughter may serve as a gesture of relief ,a way of calming down anger .And , if the threatening person joins the laughter ,the risk of confrontation（对抗、冲突） may reduce. “If I can change our speech from serious to not serious, Im not
31、 threatened so much any more,” says Lawrence Mintz , a cultural historian at the University of Maryland in College Park.但是为什么笑会在这种情况下或是为难的尴尬或是失望？Provine说，这很清楚，笑与人类其它行为一样逐渐进化来改变其它人的行为。然而笑在表达情感方面，是没有什么进化上的优势的。在尴尬或是其它危险情况下，笑可能充当着如释重负的标心，是一种平息怒火的方式。如果威胁的一方也加入笑的话，对抗的风险就降低了。Lawrence Mintz说，“如果我可以把我们的谈话转化为
32、轻松的谈话，我就不会再有威胁。”15 In contrast to(与相反) all these theories ,which interpret （把解释为）laughter primarily（首先，根本上） as a means of forming connections between people, a second camp sees laughter first and foremost as an aggressive act . “Laughter equals winning ,”says Charles Gruner of the University of Geor
33、gia. Gruner believes that laughter originated from(起源于come from) the cry of triumph(巨大成就) and mock that a fighter might utter when he defeats his foe .与主要把笑解释为增进人们联系的方式这些理论相反的第二个阵营的人会把笑首先看成是侵略行为。Charles Grune说，“笑等于胜利”他相信笑起源于战士击败敌人时发出的胜利与嘲弄的叫喊声。16 As evidence , Gruner claims that he can find an eleme
34、nt of aggression in every instance of humour , even the most harmless . Even a baby , he says ,laughs not to bond with its parents but because they give it what it wants.作为证明，他声称在每个幽默事件当中都能找到侵略因素，甚至是最没有伤害的人。甚至是婴儿，他的笑并不是和他的父母增强联系而是因为父母给予了他想要的东西。17 Other experts concede that at least some laughterpart
35、icularly among males is indeed aggressive in nature ,but few follow Gruner in contending that all of it is . “Babies laugh before they have any self-conception（自我概念） at all ,” notes Morreall. “Theyre clearly not laughing beause theyre putting other people down.（击败）”其它专家承认至少某种笑，尤其是男性的笑，从本质上来说是咄咄逼人具有攻
36、击性，但几乎没有人同意Gruner认为所有笑具有攻击性的论断。“婴儿的笑是在他们没有自我意识之前就笑了”， Morreall认为“很显然他们在笑不是因为他们打败敌人”。18 In the end ,though ,a convincing explanation of why people laugh must wait for more and better data . Laughter appears in so many contexts that researchers sometimes feel they are trying to battle the Hydra（九头蛇） .When it comes to（当讲到） keeping emotions down, “fear is a piece of cake ,”says Morreall. “Anger is a piece of cake .Even love is easier than laughter.”最后，人们为什么笑的令人信服的解释必须有待更多更好的数据来证明。笑出现在如此多的场景之下，以致于研究者们觉得与九头蛇作战，很难。当讲到研究人类情感时，“恐惧是小菜一碟”， Morreall说“愤怒也是小菜一碟，甚至爱也是比笑简单的多”。
