Week # 1 - August 28, 2008

Let’s laugh!  What is laughter? Recognizing, vocalizing, defining, and using laughter. Physiology and evolution of laughter. Is laughing what makes us human or is it smiling? Readings for Week 1: Provine, Robert R.: Chapters 1-3. Pp. 1-53. Chapter 5. Pp. 75-97.

In Robert R. Provine:  Laughter. A Scientific Investigation. Viking. 2000.

Polimeni, Joseph & Jeffrey P. Reiss: The First Joke: Exploring the Evolutionary Origins of Humor. In Evolutionary Psychology. Vol. 4. 2006. Pp. 347-366. www.human-nature.com./ep/downloads/ep04347366.pdf 

Strubbe, Bill: Getting Serious About Laughter. In World And I. 2003. www.worldandi.com/newhome/public/2003/march/nspub.asp