Something funny happened when a middle aged woman was taken to a hospital on Monday. It
helped a group of scientists to discover why people laugh. It seems that different types of laughing
are “all is well” signals which tell others when a or confusing situation is safe.

The woman arrived at an Indian hospital with a head which appeared to give her straight
reaction to pain. Every time a doctor stuck a pin in her hand, she laughed uncontrollably.

According to Dr. Ramachandran, neuroscientist at the University of California at San Diego, the
region of her involved in sending messages about pain has been . Part of it was
saying “Look, That hurts” while the other part was saying “There’s no problem!” As a result the brain sent out an OK signal and she started laughing. There’s no other that makes sense.

Why we laugh is one of the great mysteries of human . But Dr. Ramachandran believes he
has found the answer. “Laughter is just an expression of surprise; it is also connected to
feelings of relief, “he told members of a conference in Los Angeles.

He that laughter was a form of communication which helped our save energy and
resources. If, for instance, hunters were surprised by a sound in the bushes, their
immediate instinct would be fear. Adrenalin levels would go up fast and they would prepare to fight
or run away. But if the sound turned out to be a rabbit and not a danger, the natural would
be to laugh – sending out a signal to the whole group that they could relax.


1 threatening – damaging – bullying – humorous
2 disease – pain - injury – cure
3 mind – head – intellect – brain
4 divided - disconnected – linked – cut off
5 method – theory – science – guess
6 behavior – society – actions – manners
7 absolutely – generally – finally – strongly
8 quarreled – argued – responded – ignored
9 predecessors – successor – ancestors – heirs
10 ancient – antique – prehistoric – medieval
11 surprise - action - reaction - achievement