Uma abordagem cognitiva do riso

Abstract

The research is an investigation about the phenomenon of the Laugh, from the studies of Henri Bergson and Sigmund Freud up to today's research on neuroscience, gelotology and several other studies on human behaviour. In order to better understand the Laugh, an accurate evaluation of the book " Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic", by Henri Bergson is made as an attempt to better understand the main considerations set by the author, in his interpretation of this phenomenon as a Social Gesture and all the implications originated by such fact. In the second chapter of this study, Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious , by Sigmund Freud, are closely analyzed in details, comparing Freud s and Bergson s approaches and analyzing the mechanisms proposed by Freud concerning the way the Joke works, pointing out the reasons why they would be told to others. The reading and analysis of this book are directed specifically to the study of the Laugh, not approaching any other aspect, relevant to the reading of Freud s work as a whole, which however, would deviate the focus of this work. All the efforts were dedicated to the comprehension of the jokes mechanisms studied by Freud as well as ways to obtain pleasure through them. At the end updated research is verified, such as the one from Richard Wiseman s Laugh Laboratory, that accomplished a worldwide research selecting which would be considered the funniest jokes by people. Also as an object of study there is the role of the mirror-neurones, an important finding that allows a clearer vision about primates and human s social behaviors. The possibility of the laughter to be a behaviour similar to the grooming of the primates is also raised, since both would be related to the exchange of pleasure among individuals viewing the benefit of the group. Following this line, a study is presented defining the laughter as a specific characteristic of the male gender, who would use this feature as an approach aiming at attracting a mate. There isn't a conclusive result, there is not a final word about the laughter because it is clear that in many circumstances the term ranges similar phenomena, which are not exactly the same. In the same way that there is multiple laughter, there are multiple areas that study the distinct variations of the Laugh.