Descartes, Spenser, and Freud

 Laura Latham 

EN 446D 01 

February 11, 2023

Laughter through the Tough Times 

According to Descartes, laughter is associated with the emotions of wonder, hatred, and joy. At first glance, it seems as if this list is excluding a common example of laughter, inappropriate laughter. This is not the laughter that results from a joke that is not politically correct, it is the kind of uncontrollable laughter that comes from a deep sadness or feeling of loss. Inappropriate laughter is most prevalent in sad times, however inappropriate laughter is not the effect of sadness. 

The bodies’ physical reaction to emotions is an attempt to create a homeostasis of emotions. For instance, laughter is supposed to release the wonder, hatred, or joy held within the body. Spencer explains in his hydraulic theory of nervous energy that muscular movement is how the body releases nervous energy, and that laughter is a common muscular reaction that releases energy. If there is no muscular reaction, the feeling is more intensely felt and the body is not balanced. People are often found laughing in sad times because “laughing through something that’s traumatic and painful is a way of convincing yourself (and therefore others) that you’re alright” (Bala). Laughter and humor, according to Freud, is a way to derail reality by inflicting the pleasure principle. Crying is the muscular response that comes from sadness. This is why sadness is not associated with laughter. The inappropriate laughter that can come from sad times is the result of wonder. Sad events normally come as a shock, and therefore the laughter that follows a sad event is not coming from the emotion of sadness itself, it is coming from the emotions that build up from wonder. Descartes points out that laughter cannot stem from joy alone, that there must be some amount of wonder or hatred combined into one’s feelings. This is the same from laughter that appears at a tough time. The emotion that causes the reaction is the wonder. Laughing during tough times is our bodies’ way of telling itself that it is ok, and that the situation at hand will have a solution. Emotions are being brought back to homeostasis. 

Works Cited:

Bala, Helena. “Why Do We Laugh at Sad Things.” Repeller, 13 Apr. 2017, https://repeller.com/benefits-of-laughter/. 


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