Radio and PodcastRadio and PodcastLive Radio & Podcasts
Why do we laugh? artwork
Education

Why do we laugh?

The Big Idea by BBC

Sep 12, 202010:36Education

There are thousands of academic papers about depression. There are, in comparison, virtually none about laughter. We’ve been talking to a leading expert on laughter – who argues that we should take it more seriously. Pic...

About This Episode

Why do we laugh? is an episode from The Big Idea by BBC. There are thousands of academic papers about depression. There are, in comparison, virtually none about laughter. We’ve been talking to a leading expert on laughter – who argues that...

Podcast

This episode belongs to The Big Idea.

Listen Online

Use the player on this page to stream the episode online.

Episode Details

Published Sep 12, 2020, 10:36 long, audio available.

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from The Big Idea.

Fighting pandemics

Dec 19, 2020 - 11:53

The 2020 pandemic has transformed our world, but it won’t be the last to do so. How should we prepare for...

The science of addiction

Dec 12, 2020 - 11:27

Some people are addicted to drugs, others to alcohol. Addicts often crave a substance, and yet when they...

The new normal

Dec 5, 2020 - 11:37

Love him or loathe him, we can all agree that Donald Trump is not a ‘normal’ President. Previous presiden...

Do cities need rules?

Nov 28, 2020 - 9:46

Have you ever thought that your city is too regulated? Or that the city you live in doesn’t do enough to...

The science of sleep

Nov 21, 2020 - 14:38

We spend around a third of our lives asleep, but the reason we sleep is still something of a mystery. Cou...

The importance of fairness

Nov 14, 2020 - 12:04

Ernst Fehr is well named: he’s an economist who writes about fairness. In fact, until his pioneering work...

How do we spot rogue cops?

Nov 7, 2020 - 11:32

David Edmonds speaks to a leading criminologist who says we can do much better in identifying rogue cops...