These days, all you have to do to pass the time is grab your phone, unlike the good old days when you had to catch a performer of some kind. And both can make someone laugh when they need it, even though the experiences may not be the same.
You’re in the right place if you’ve been feeling gloomy, because we have a whole list of posts ready for you today that will make you laugh out loud. We have searched through X (previously Twitter) in search of the best of the best in online humor, and we have found a number of excellent finalists. Don’t hesitate any longer; simply scroll down to see them listed in order and have a good laugh.
Also included below are excerpts from Bored Panda’s conversations with two experts who kindly shared their thoughts on the subjects of smiling, laughing, and internet comedy. So keep scrolling to see our interviews with Dr. Don Nilsen, a linguist and humor specialist, and Dr. Jure Gantar, a professor of theatre studies at Dalhousie University and an authority on the theory and critique of comedy, laughing, humor, and wit.
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It goes without saying that X—still known as Twitter to many—is full of hilarious content, with some users even managing to make the joys and challenges of daily life seem funnier than some stand-up comedians. However, as long as you’re laughing, it doesn’t really matter if it comes from comedians, posts on X, or anything else that makes you feel better.
It’s crucial to laugh since it can improve our wellbeing in a variety of ways. Dr. Don Nilsen, a linguist and comedy specialist, noted in a recent interview with Bored Panda that smiling and laughing are healthy everyday activities because they have restorative effects on the body and mind. “Laughter and smiles, like those from pets, family, friends, music, and even sleep, restore the body and mind.”
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Even if there are a lot of things that can make us laugh and smile, those two emotions don’t always mean the same thing. “Most laughter, according to Robert Provine, is not a reaction to jokes or other formal attempts at humor.” While talking about the causes of laughter, Dr. Nilsen made a note. Salvatore Attardo continues, stating that imitation—watching other people laugh—as well as a variety of non-humorous stimuli, such as tickling and laughing gas, can induce laughter. Giles and Oxford enumerate seven reasons to laugh: sociable, hilarious, ignorant, nervous, apologetic, derisive, and tickling. The “principle of least disruption,” according to Jodi Eisterhold, “enjoins speakers to return to a serious mode as soon as possible.”
Some people mistakenly believe that laughter is just an exaggerated form of smiling since smiles can occasionally turn into laughs, and laughs can occasionally turn into smiles. But grins are more likely to convey contentment or good intentions, whereas giggles are more likely to convey astonishment or the realization of an oddity.
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Looking more closely at the incongruity-based emotion, Dr. Jure Gantar, a specialist in comedy, laughter, humor, and wit, proposed that “laughing is our response to the perceived absence of sense in the world surrounding us.” We relate to people we are not when we laugh. Our identities have different negative spaces as a result of these differences. While there are certain topics that most people can agree on, no one has universally accepted opinions. Our sense of humor is therefore like a fingerprint on our minds.
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Every time we laugh, according to Dr. Gantar, we rebuild ourselves as logical people. Accordingly, laughing is just as essential to our daily existence as any other mental action. Though it’s frequently uncontrollable, laughter always shows that we can think things through, he asserted. “To paraphrase Descartes, I laugh because I think.”
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Dr. Don Nilsen, a co-founder of the International Society for Humor Studies, said that whereas smiling is essentially a private gesture, some individuals view laughter as more of a public one. “To laugh, or to occasion laughter through humor and wit, is to invite those present to come closer,” according to Guiselinde Kuipers. He observed, “She claims that humor and laughter serve as a kind of invitation since they try to reduce social distance.
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Dr. Nilsen went on to discuss laughing as a social phenomena in more detail. That’s why, in his words, “getting the giggles” never occurs when we are alone ourselves. On the other hand, whether reading or even just thinking in privacy, people frequently smile.
“Laughter is contagious; smiling is not.” That’s why laugh tracks are frequently included in comedic radio and television shows. Moreover, the expert clarified that people are unable to tickle themselves because the cerebellum, located in the bottom back of the brain, interferes with the area of the brain responsible for controlling laughter.
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In the course of the conversation, Dr. Don Nilsen informed Bored Panda about a research done by Anthony Chapman that contrasted the behaviors of kids who were aware that they were being watched with those who weren’t. “Compared to the other group, the youngsters who were aware that they were being observed laughed four times more frequently. But their smiles were barely half as wide. Anthony Chapman came to the conclusion that depending on the circumstance, laughing can be either positive or negative. However, he also came to the conclusion that humor both initiates and produces laughter. This explains why laughing and humor go hand in hand.
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“People differ regarding many aspects, such as their gender, age, ethnicity, and ability, and that can influence the way they view certain types of humor or jokes,” Dr. Nilsen suggested. “The reason that some people find a joke or anecdote funny, while others might find the same joke or anecdote offensive, is mainly due to embodiment.” Furthermore, we may or may not be cognitively or physically active. And we may be progressive, conservative, or neither,” he remarked.
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In the current digital era, where social media and other online entities appear to be everywhere, it should come as no surprise that humor and the internet are closely related. Dr. Jure Gantar made the suggestion that “the internet has helped to promote many short forms of humor.” She also said that amusing articles can become a crucial part of our daily routines, helping us manage the tension of our daily tasks.
Dr. Don Nilsen stated, “There are emojis, memes, photo-bombs, and selfies that are designed to make the reader smile, or even laugh out loud. Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Pinterest, and Tumblr are filled with humor.”
Not only are social media posts and humorous YouTube videos fantastic sources of entertainment these days, but digital applications are also getting funnier because, as the humor expert noted, people are now being taught how to use humor, wit, irony, parody, satire, and most importantly, sarcasm.
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