Clark University Explores The Science of Laughter

From Clark University: British neuroscientist and stand-up comedian Sophie Scott will present “The Science of Laughter” at Clark University at 7 p.m., Wednesday, February 1, in the Higgins Lounge, Dana Commons, 2nd Floor. The event is part of the Higgins School of Humanities’ spring dialogue symposium, “What’s so funny?” which includes lectures, community conversations and exhibits on humor.

Scott is a Wellcome Trust senior fellow and deputy director of University College London’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. A pioneering researcher in the science of laughter, Scott’s research incorporates the investigation of positive emotions, something often ignored in her discipline. Scott will discuss the sometimes surprising science and evolution of laughter—an emotion with its roots in play and social bonding. What do brain studies reveal about laughter? What happens when laughter goes wrong?

Visit her TED talk for a preview: https://www.ted.com/talks/sophie_scott_why_we_laugh

“This semester, our symposium asks how humor creates and fragments communities. What larger cultural, social, and political role does humor play? In short, what can we learn when we take jokes, comedy, and laughter seriously?” wrote Amy Richter, director of the Higgins School of Humanities.

This free, public event is sponsored by the Higgins School of Humanities and the Frances L. Hiatt School of Psychology. For more information, call 508-793-7479 or email HigginsSchool@clarku.edu. A complete list of all events in the spring symposium is available at https://www2.clarku.edu/higgins-school-of-humanities/.

Founded in 1887 in Worcester, Massachusetts, Clark University is a liberal arts-based research university addressing social and human imperatives on a global scale. Nationally renowned as a college that changes lives, Clark is emerging as a transformative force in higher education today. LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice) is Clark’s pioneering model of education that combines a robust liberal arts curriculum with life-changing world and workplace experiences. Clark’s faculty and students work across boundaries to develop solutions to complex challenges in the natural sciences, psychology, geography, management, urban education, Holocaust and genocide studies, environmental studies, and international development and social change. The Clark educational experience embodies the University’s motto: Challenge convention. Change our world.

Photo Courtesy of Clark University