Chuckle, Snigger and LOL

Why do we giggle, snort, and bust a gut laughing? Is it just humans being weird, does it serve some higher function or do other animals crack up too? And, okay, Dara is a comedian, but has he ever really made anyone laugh, like properly? With help from Professor Greg Bryant and Professor Sophie Scott, they dive into the science of LOLs, exploring how laughter bonds us, eases stress, and even spices up flirting. They uncover the difference between genuine belly laughs and those polite chuckles that pepper everyday interactions. Contributors: Sophie Scott - Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL Greg Bryant - Professor of Communication at UCLA Betty La France - Professor or Communication, Northern Illinois University Producer: Ilan Goodman Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

You can listen to Chuckle, Snigger and LOL online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Chuckle, Snigger and LOL is an episode from The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry by BBC.

This episode is 29:27 long.

This episode was published on May 30, 2025.

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