The science of humour

John Bohannon, Allan Reiss, Salvatore Attardo, Tom Flamson

What would a visiting alien make of human laughter? We throw our heads back and show our teeth, water streaming from our eyes as we bark, choke and snort at each other. What is this strange behavior? How did it evolve? And what makes one thing funny and others not at all?

This session will assess what we have learned so far about humour. A roundtable of experts from the sciences and humanities will share progress from their respective fields in understanding humour's origins, mechanisms, and functions. In non-technical language, they will address such mysteries as the giggling of rats and the play of children to the power of satire and the infectious spread of yawns and laughter.