Study shows laughter is a key to love

UNC-Chapel Hill researchers Laura Kurtz and Sara Algoe may have found the reason relationships work: laughter.

“It was part of a larger study on romantic couples,” said Algoe, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. “One of the questions we were really curious about was what are the type of things that really make great relationships.”

The study, which was featured in Glamour magazine, focused on the correlation between laughing with your partner and the strength of the relationship.

“For people who were in pretty good relationships, it’s kind of fun to talk about how you first met, and this produced a lot of giggling and laughter between the two people,” Algoe said.

The goal was to see if shared laughter was an indicator of how the relationship was going.

“We thought there was something pretty unique about when two people laugh together,” Algoe said.

Couples participating in the study answered questions about their time together.

“The amount of time they spent laughing together was linked to how supported they felt and how close they felt,” Algoe said.

Algoe initially thought participation might be difficult considering how intensive the study was — couples had to spend six hours in the lab.

Kurtz, a teaching assistant in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, added most couples were in similar situations in their relationships.

“It’s harder to get a varied sample. Often times when we do couple studies, we get very happy couples,” Kurtz said. “We don’t often get couples who are upset or not doing well in their relationship.”

But Kurtz said there were still variations.

“Despite the fact that these couples were already very in high quality relationships, we were still able to pick apart differences in these couples based on how much they were actually laughing together,” Kurtz said.

“Essentially what we are showing (is) that these seemingly inconsequential behavior of laughing with your partner can separate the really good relationships from the exceptional relationships.”

People in relationships on campus seem to agree with the research. Junior Natalie Castellano said laughter was a big part of her relationship.

“For me, a really strong connection is being able to laugh and having the same sense of humor,” Castellano said.

Senior Emily Wood said laughter sets her current relationship apart from past ones.

“It’s definitely different,” she said. “We laugh more; we’re happier.”

Algoe said laughter may have benefits beyond momentary happiness.

“The quality of our relationships is really directly related not only with our physical and emotional health but also longevity,” she said. “We don’t realize what these little moments with our friends and neighbors might be bringing to us.”

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