Relational Psychology (BONDING VIA LAUGHING) with Dr. Sara Algoe and Dr. Laura Kurtz
Basement card games. Fireside reminiscing. Being forced to learn a dance. Does acting like a cornball matter? Will bits save your life? Yes. I got myself to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to talk with research psychologists Dr. Sara Algoe and Dr. Laura Kurtz, who also run the research collective, The Love Consortium. They’re the team behind studies proving that laughing does predict and enhance lasting social support and lead to longer, better lives. We chat sneaky studies, in person vs. remote hangouts, which came first: the giggle or the oxytocin, which “novel and arousing” activities strengthen relationships, the immersive bonding of a slumber party with people you trust, words vs. actions, laughter amid conflict, and how connecting with old friends can keep you out of the hospital unless you decide to try amateur rodeo night at the fair.
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Visit Dr. Algoe’s website and follow her on Google Scholar
Follow Dr. Kurtz on Google Scholar
A donation went to The Love Consortium
Links to things we discussed:
Putting laughter in context: Shared laughter as behavioral indicator of relationship well-being
Couples' shared participation in novel and arousing activities and experienced relationship quality.
Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review
Lacking social connection is comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day – FAQs
Inclusion of Other in the Self (IOS) Scale
Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review
The Psychometric Properties of the Prioritizing Positivity Scale
Benign Violations: Making Immoral Behavior Funny
A brief introduction to the benign violation theory of humor
Ellen Berscheid, Elaine Hatfield, and the Emergence of Relationship Science
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