Sophie Scott

It's like we don't remember it almost.

So it's difficult because you can't rely on people's self-report.

We've been developing a questionnaire about laughter and we found that the single biggest factor

that sort of varies across certainly adults in the UK and in China about laughter is how much people think they laugh.

So it is a big thing that people think about their laughter and how much they do or don't laugh a lot.

But we can't find any predicted value of that.

So there's no relationship that we found so far between how much people think they laugh and how much they actually do laugh.

But I think the other thing that's true is if you remember that laughter doesn't happen randomly.

Laughter happens when you're in certain social situations.

And people won't laugh if they're feeling really uncomfortable, even if they're with other people.

And they won't laugh if they're feeling very kind of exposed or like they're on show.

So one of the easiest ways to get people to stop laughing is to get them into the lab and say, now laugh.

They just don't do it.

They won't do it.

So I think it's possible that people who are happier laugh more.

It's also possible that people who laugh more are happier.

The direction of causality is probably more like a virtuous circle, both affects the other.

But all of it's only possible because of the people that you're laughing with.

That's going to be affecting your mood as well.

I can remember when I was a child,