All In The Mind

This week we're asking you to laugh, chortle, hoot, and reach over and tickle someone right now. Laughter is free, it makes us feel darn good - and some people look for every opportunity to do it. Neuroscientist Robert Provine has made it his life's work to unravel why and how we humans laugh. And we meet members of a community laughter club...people who giggle together, grow together.

Transcript

This transcript was typed from a recording of the program. The ABC cannot guarantee its complete accuracy because of the possibility of mishearing and occasional difficulty in identifying speakers.

A transcript will not be made available for this particular program. Tapes can be purchased through ABC Radio Tape Sales. Weekly transcripts started being available for All In the Mind from the 12 May 2002, with the occasional transcript available before this.

Publication

Title: Laughter
Author : Robert R. Provine
Publisher: American Scientist (magazine), January-February 1996
URL: http://www.sigmaxi.org/amsci/Articles/96articles/Provine-R.html

Title: Laughter: A Scientific Investigation
Author : Robert R. Provine
Publisher: Faber and Faber (2000)
ISBN: 0 571 19189 4

Further Information

A Selection of the Laughter Clubs in Australia
http://www.laughteryoga.org/Astralia.htm

Robert R. Provine's website
http://www.umbc.edu/psyc/faculty/provine/

Laughter Club International
Founded by Dr. Madan Kataria in India
http://www.laughteryoga.org/

Guests

Members of the Newtown Laughter Club, Sydney, Australia (interviewed by Justine Langford)

Dr Robert R. Provine
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience University of Maryland Baltimore County