It is said that “Laughter is the best medicine.” But new research discovered evidence that laughter actually affects your brain so much that it actually makes you become smarter!
Researchers in Austria recently published data showing that funny people have higher IQs than less-funny people. The IQ is considerably higher in those who enjoy dark humor. Based on the data they collected, the researchers discovered that funny people higher verbal and non-verbal intelligence; they also have lower scores in aggressiveness and mood disturbance.
To process and produce humor, the researchers believe that people use both cognitive and emotional abilities, shared Lowri Dowthwaite, Lecturer in Psychological Interventions at the University of Central Lancashire on the World Economic Forum.
The researchers also discovered that funny people are not just smart, many also people also want them as friends because they are nice to be around.
Laughter Changes the Brain Chemistry
There’s scientific evidence that laughter changes the brain chemistry. By laughing more often, people tend to have increased levels of dopamine. This chemical does not only make people feel good, it also boosts working memory as it opens up the learning centers of the brain. This boosts brain function by sustaining more neural connections.
Aside from being smart, being funny also helps boost competence, self-confidence, and status because humor makes people listen. The researchers think that this makes funny people more influential.
Because humor is a heritable trait that signals mental fitness and intellectual agility, a lot of people tend to subconsciously pick funny people as prospective partners, Dowthwaite added.
What is Brain Chemistry?
Brain chemistry is the sum of all the chemicals and chemical messaging processes that take place in the brain, allowing it to carry out its daily functions. The balance should be maintained to ensure that the brain functions well, allowing it to generate movement and other processes like thinking, listening, speaking, regulating body systems, and many others.