Funny or Die
“Do people really die laughing? If so, it would be interesting to know if an autopsy would reveal a parasympathetic death. Such a ‘death by relaxation’ is characteristic of rats put in stressful conditions after having learned that they can do nothing to help themselves. They seem to simply ‘give up’. Apparently, death results from helplessness due to parasympathetic overshoot.”
-This is a footnote in Porteous’ paper Humor as a Process of Defense: The Evolution of Laughter (1988). My thesis about laughter is causing some heavy ruminations.
