Laughter predates language. But what’s the neurological function of humor? Why do we find things funny?

Your brain’s ability to perceive and create comedic ideas is one of the most powerful facets of the human experience. Through humor and laughter, we can find shared understanding across the boundaries of cultures, languages, and ideologies.

In this episode of ‘YOUR BRAIN ON…’, we discuss:

• Why we evolved the ability to laugh
• The ‘benign violation theory’ — the most prevalent hypothesis for the function of humor
• Why we find some things funny, and some things not
• How some comedians use humor as a form of therapy
• The nervous disorders underpinning involuntary bursts of laughter

This episode, we’re joined by:

CALEB WARREN, a primary contributor of the Humor Research Lab (HuRL) at the University of Colorado, and a key pioneer of the Benign Violation Theory, which he speaks about in this episode.

JESSICA PORTER, an hilarious comedian who uses humor both for performances and for therapy. Jessica shares some fascinating ideas about comedy as a tool for communication and growth.