National Laugh-Friendly Month – February 2025

History of National Laugh-Friendly Month

Laughter is a physical reaction that involves rhythmic contractions of the diaphragm. It is often a response to stimuli, whether internal or external, and can be elicited from activities like being tickled or told a joke. It is, culturally, seen as an auditory expression of many, mostly positive, emotions. The study of humor and laughter is called gelotology.

Laughter has often been a subject of great interest in literature across human history. During ancient times, the Greek historian Herodotus propounded that laughers could be organized into three categories; those innocent of wrongdoing but ignorant of vulnerability, those who are insane, and those who are overconfident. Whenever reporting laughter, Herodotus did so in the belief that it informs the readers of the person’s future or character.

Theories of humor and laughter have been put forth by many philosophers and researchers in the modern world. Hobbes believed that “The passion of laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from sudden conception of some eminency in ourselves, by comparison with the infirmity of others, or with our own formerly;” Schopenhauer wrote of laughter extensively; Nietzsche pondered upon the utility of laughter; Bergson put forth his beliefs about the causes of humorous situations, and Ludovici worked to develop Hobbes’ theory further, whilst considering it an evolutionary trait. Today, laughter is considered to have its biological roots in a “shared expression of relief at the passing of danger.”