Laughter increases altruism, says psychologists' study
Howard Lake | 14 March 2007 | News
A new study from psychologists at the universities of Kent and Liverpool has revealed that laughter increases altruism towards strangers. The findings, released ahead of Friday’s comedy fundraising telethon for Comic Relief, “may have important implications for charities and other fundraising bodies”.
For the study, participants watched a funny or serious video clip before playing an altruistic game with strangers. The study revealed that after watching the funny clip subjects who laughed a lot were more likely to give their money to strangers. Further research suggests that this may be due to the effects of laughter on endorphins, naturally produced neurotransmitters that improve people’s mood.
The study, conducted by Professor Mark van Vugt, Charlie Hardy, Julie Stow and Professor Robin Dunbar (University of Liverpool), was designed to examine if laughter acts as a social lubricant by enhancing a sense of group identity among strangers.
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Professor van Vugt, a member of Kent’s Centre for the Study of Group Processes and an expert on human altruism and co-operation said: “This study may have important implications for the way charities or organisations could increase the level of received donations.
“From the perspective of increasing altruism in society, it is obvious that laughter deserves serious attention from both scientists and policy makers.”
You can read the full results of the study – ‘Laughter as Social Lubricant: A Biosocial Hypothesis about the Pro-social Functions of Laughter and Humour’.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.