Laughter makes people more likely to spend money

Laughter not only makes you feel good but also makes you become more cooperative and selfless with strangers. Thanks to that, you can easily withdraw your wallet to give money to others.

Laughter is a common global behavior of people. Earlier it was demonstrated that laughter acts as a lubricant, enhancing adhesion in groups. In the new study, scientists have examined whether this closeness promotes selfless behavior in humans.

Participants watched a serious comedy and movie, and then they played a game with strangers to see how laughter affected the balance between personal interests and collective interests. in the game.

Each person is given a small amount of money (about 5 USD) and can invest in private funds or collective funds. They will get back as much as they want from their own fund, while what goes into the common fund will be doubled and divided equally for everyone in the group, regardless of how much they paid.

Researchers found laughter that made strangers more likely to invest in a common fund, thus increasing people's selflessness.

"This study will work for charitable organizations who want to get people to donate more," said study author Mark van Vugt at the University of Kent.

Laughter has long played an evolutionary role to strengthen solidarity among groups, helping our early ancestors work together to deal with harsh environments.

MT