What makes something funny, and why do people laugh?

What makes something funny, and why do people laugh?

Laughter starts with activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which produces endorphins that are intended to alleviate pain. One study showed that within four-tenths of a second of exposure to something potentially funny, an electrical wave moved through the cerebral cortex, the largest part of the brain.

Something is funny when it subverts expectations or relates to relatable human experiences. People laugh as a social and emotional response to humor, which can relieve stress and strengthen social bonds.

Humor often involves surprise, incongruity, or relatability. People laugh as a social and emotional response to these elements in a way that provides enjoyment or relief.

Most often, it reflects positive emotional states such as joy or happiness, but it can also result from emotional states such as embarrassment or confusion. It's also considered an evolutionary mechanism and mode of communication that helps build social bonds and

The second, 'voluntary' system originates in the premotor/frontal opercular areas and leads through the motor cortex and pyramidal tract to the ventral brainstem. These systems and the laughter response appear to be coordinated by a laughter‐coordinating centre in the dorsal upper pons.