system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELIF: why do we laugh? And does it serve a purpose?
gpt
“Someone looks like they just got badly hurt! Oh wait, they’re actually ok.”

“Someone just broke a social taboo! Oh, but nobody is seriously upset about it.”

“Something just surprised me! Oh, but it’s nothing dangerous.”


Laughter is the “all clear” signal to everyone around that releases tension when you discover that a situation that was surprising or potentially threatening in some way is not actually a serious problem. Like a lot of other behaviors, it has also been co-opted as a method of social bonding.