Laughter as a Spike in Mental Energy
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
To optimize a design for how minds work we must understand how mental energy is converted during interaction. How is the mental effort I put into using something transformed into excitement, pleasure, pride, hope, warm memories, a sense of wonder or an instant insight into myself or the world around me? Any artifact that delivers smoothly on its core functionality and generates mental energy by moving my heart-and-mind will be a winner in the marketplace or workplace.
Learning to see the mental energy signature of an artifact is a core skill for the cognitive designer.
Laughter is one place to look. We laugh because something tickles the novelty center in our brain by catching us by surprise. A momentary instance of cognitive dissonance between the set-up and punch line creates a spike of mental energy we cannot contain so we laugh. We also laugh and try and make others laugh to relieve situational stress, worry or anxiety. This is often the source of the inappropriate jokes or laughing at the wrong time. The cognition is the same – a spike of mental energy, too much to handle, looking to go to ground.
So I am always on the look out for new scientific studies into the nature of laughter. For example, a recent study conducted by North Carolina State took a unique empirical look at the role of laughter during jury deliberation. The news release, aptly titled No Laughing Matter, provides some potential insights into group dynamics. For instance:
“The researchers learned that laughter could be used as a tool, intentionally and strategically, to control communication and affect group dynamics. For example, one juror was very vocal and made it clear early in the case that she was opposed to the death penalty. In one instance, when that juror agreed with other jury members, one of the other members said “She’s so smart,” resulting in laughter from other members of the group. “That had the effect of further distancing her from the rest of the jury,” Keyton says.”
The article goes on to point out there is little research into the nature of laughter in serious settings. Fortunately, cognitive designers are well positioned to offer field observations. When have you seen laughter in a serious setting and what did it reveal about the mental energy dynamics of the situation?
