Recently, a friend sent me a YouTube video called “Captain Kirk Reacts to Miley Cyrus.” I happened to watch it right after a very difficult conversation with my son that had ended with raised voices and bad feelings. The video made me laugh so hard I was crying. Soon I was sharing it with my son, and the tension between us seemed to melt away.
Laughter can be so healing, it seems; “Laughter is the best medicine,” the saying goes. But, is that really true? Does humor serve some adaptive purpose? And if it’s good for us, why do we find some things funny—like Captain Kirk cringing over Cyrus’ performance—while others leave us flat?