Lynn Thoman

Thanks for listening.

We tend to think of laughter as a reaction to something funny, a punchline, a joke, a moment of humor.

But when you listen to laughter in real everyday conversations, a much stranger picture starts to emerge.

So if laughter isn't really about humor, what is it for?

And why does laughter matter more than we think?

Hi, everyone.

I'm Lynn Thoman, and this is Three Takeaways.

On Three Takeaways, I talk with some of the world's best thinkers, business leaders, writers, politicians, newsmakers, and scientists.

Each episode ends with three key takeaways to help us understand the world and maybe even ourselves a little better.

Today, I'm excited to be with neuroscientist Sophie Scott.

She studies the science of laughter.

It turns out that everything we think we know about laughter is wrong.

Laughter is not even primarily a response to humor.

I'm excited to learn more.

Welcome, Sophie, and thanks so much for our conversation today.

Hello, and thank you very much for inviting me.

Why is laughter worth taking seriously?

So interesting.

Do people in conversation mirror each other in laughter also?

So if laughter helps develop social ties and connections, are there people that use laughter transactionally?