Why do we Laugh?

Callie Holloway

Blog 1- Why do we Laugh?

Laughter is very much essential to life. It is something we put into our daily routine or at least I do. I think Thomas Hobbes’s quote talks about some of the negative aspects of why people laugh. It says that people laugh because of the deformities of others. I don’t necessarily agree with this because not all people do this. I guess there are times when it does occur, but I wouldn’t say it is meant to be derogatory. There was a time I was in music class in elementary school, and I could not stop laughing for the life of me. My music teacher would give me the evil eye, but that did nothing for me. I wasn’t trying to be rude, but I just couldn’t quit. I guess it seemed like I was doing it on purpose. Sometimes I think people think that when we laugh we are doing it in spite or trying to be mean, when we truly aren’t. He also portrays that when people laugh; they are putting themselves above others or bringing glory to themselves. I don’t agree with this either. This quote can also be a little confusing. If some people like telling jokes, then they might laugh at their own jokes to try and spread the humor. This doesn’t mean they want to bring glory to themselves.
Hobbes does mention the word pusillanimity which means cowardice. He says,” Much laughter at the defects of others is a sign of pusillanimity.” I do agree with this statement of his because it is not right to make fun of people. It reminds me of the golden rule. Hobbes also says that people laugh at others because they are insecure about themselves and their own imperfections. I do agree with this statement. I think there is a difference in laughing at someone who trips or something and then laughing at someone to make fun of them. Who hasn’t laughed at someone who has tripped? Sometimes it also depends on the person. There are certain people I can joke around with because of their personality, and there are others that I have to be more serious with. If my friend trips, I would probably laugh. If someone I didn’t know tripped, I would make sure they were okay first. I am a person that loves to laugh a lot, and the reasons I laugh are not to put others down or bring glory to myself. I laugh because it makes me happy, and I like to see other people laugh. Laughter is meant to bring a sense of life into this world.