Here is a story that may have an emotional effect on you. Mother Superior calls all the nuns together
and says to them: “I must tell you all something. We have a case of gonorrhea in the convent.” “Thank
God,” says an elderly nun at the back of the room, “I'm so tired of chardonnay.” Most people react to
this joke with pleasurable surprise, including laughter. This chapter will try to explain the neural
basis of this and other emotional reactions that are integral to appreciating the meaning of life.