Laughter can affect group dynamics - even when there's nothing funny

Washington, Aug 25 (ANI): New research indicates that laughter can play key roles in group-communication and group dynamics - even when there's nothing funny going on.


Dr. Joann Keyton and Dr. Stephenson Beck of North Dakota State University were struck by the amount of laughter in the transcript.

Keyton notes that there is very little research on the role of laughter in communication, particularly when divorced from humour.



"When juries form, they don't know each other," Keyton said.

"So part of the jury process is to create relationships within the group - for example, figuring out who thinks like me, who will have the same position I have. There are power dynamics at play," she added.

Even when a discussion merits no laughter - for instance when the jury couldn't decide whether a sentence related to one of the charges was for 30 days or 30 years - it led to widespread laughter.

Keyton explained that laughing eases tension and is one way of dealing with ambiguity and tension in situations where a group is attempting to make consequential decisions and informal power dynamics are in play.


The article is published in a special issue of Small Group Dynamics. (ANI)

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