If you have to explain it… it probably isn’t funny. Some scientists have taken on the unfunny task of researching and explaining humor and are learning the reasons behind what we already knew: laughing makes us feel better. Humor is a whole mind-body and social experience; it’s a cognitive ability that gets our emotions and our bodies involved in the act, and it also connects us to other people.

View the rest of the article on the Public Broadcasting Service website.