Smiles and laughter help to establish mutual understanding.

Robert Provine discovered that people laugh 30 times more often in the company of other people than in loneliness. Laughter, according to Provayn, is less related to jokes and anecdotes than to relationships between people. The scientist noticed that only 15% of laughter is related to jokes. Being alone, people were more inclined to talk to themselves than to laugh. Participants in one of the experiments were shown comic video clips, and the people were either alone or in the company of a stranger of the same sex, or in the company of a friend of the same sex.

Only 15% of our laughter is related to jokes. Laughter is much more determined by the relationship between people.

Although the participants did not note the differences in the fun of the clips shown to them, their reaction was very different. Those participants of the experiment who watched funny clips alone, laughed much less than those to whom the same clips showed in the company of a friend or stranger. The frequency and time of laughter in the presence of another person were much more than in solitude. Laughter often occurred during the communication between the participants. These results suggest that when communicating with other people, a person laughs longer and more often than when he is alone.

Humor helps trade

Karen Mahleit, a marketing professor at the University of Cincinnati, found that humorous advertisements increase sales. She noted that buyers are more credible with the promises of the manufacturer, if they are presented with humor. Cheerful advertising with the participation of a famous person is perceived even better.