86. Laugh and the World Laughs With You: The Science of Laughter in Humans and Other Animals (with Professor Sophie Scott)
In today's episode, we are joined by Sophie Scott, a professor in cognitive neuroscience and head of the speech communications group at University College London. Her research focuses on the neural basis of vocal communication- how our brains process information in speech and control the production of our voice- as well as the expression of emotion in the voice, especially laughter. In the episode, we discuss human-specific features of laughter and smiling, the importance of laughter in play, the social role of laughter, laughing contagion, and sociocultural influences that shape how we use laughter in everyday life. Listen to find out more about this often overlooked but essential form of communication, and how laughter and human may be a key distinguishing feature of human societies. --- We hope you enjoy the episode! Please feel free to share with your friends and family, it means a lot to us🤍 Neuroverse Website https://neuroversepod.com Merchandise: https://neuroversepod.teemill.com Podcast directory https://anchor.fm/neuroverse9 Support us! https://ko-fi.com/neuroverse Twitter: @neuroverse_pod https://twitter.com/neuroverse_pod?s=21&t=KvAEuwGNKFQ9IPKlL7NTEg Instagram: @Neuroverse_pod https://instagram.com/neuroverse_pod?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Help us improve our podcast by giving us some feedback! https://forms.gle/PuEMC1BCWXdAqCRQA