From: The Globe and Mail
Why do jokes sometimes fall flat?
October 11, 2012
The Globe and Mail:
Laughter may be the best medicine. But how do you administer it?
Scientists have long recognized the wide-ranging health benefits of humour, from reducing stress and improving morale to even decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet pinpointing what actually makes things funny has been elusive thus far.
At the University of Colorado, Boulder, marketing and psychology professor Peter McGraw has been mulling over this puzzle since 2008 and at last, he and his fellow researchers have put a finger on an answer: Humour equals tragedy plus time.
Read the whole story: The Globe and Mail
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