为什么我们怕痒？为什么我们会笑？：英语精读讲义

Hey, Vsauce.

嘿，Vsauce。

Michael here

我是Michael，

and today we are going to talk about humor, 表達脈絡

今天我们要聊聊幽默，

comedy.

也就是喜剧。

What makes something funny? 語法

是什么让一件事变得好笑？

And when something's funny,

当一件事很好笑时，

why do we laugh?

我们为什么会笑？

What's the purpose of laughing

笑究竟有什么作用，

and why do we laugh when we're tickled?

我们被挠痒痒时又为什么会笑？

Well, people study this.

还真有人专门研究这个。

They're called gelotologists

他们被称为笑学家。

and we don't have all the answers yet,

我们虽然还没有找到所有答案，

but what we do know is that you are 30 times more likely to laugh if there are other people around. 語法

但确实知道，如果身边有其他人，你笑出来的可能性会高出30倍。

Hey guys.

嘿，大家好。

We also know that babies laugh before they learn a language

我们还知道，婴儿在学会语言之前就会笑，

and that babies born blind and deaf will laugh. 語法

而且天生失明、失聪的婴儿也会笑。

There are thousands of languages,

世界上有数千种语言，

hundreds of thousands of dialects, 短語搭配

数十万种方言，

but yet we all laugh in much the same way. 短語搭配

但我们笑起来的方式却都大同小异。

Our brains are constantly looking for patterns,

我们的大脑一直在寻找规律，

ways of understanding the world and predicting what's next. 語法

借此理解世界，并预测接下来会发生什么。

It's to our evolutionary advantage. 短語搭配

这对我们的进化有利。

And so when something begins in a way that we expect and then all of a sudden changes and surprises or delights us, 習語

因此，当一件事先按我们预期的方式展开，却突然发生变化，令我们惊讶或欣喜时，

we often react with laughter

我们往往会以笑声回应，

because we have just learned something.

因为我们刚刚学到了新东西。

We've learned a new logical order.

我们发现了一套新的逻辑。

This theory posits that things are funny because there's an incongruity between what we expected and what happened, 用詞

这一理论认为，事情之所以好笑，是因为实际发生的事与我们的预期并不一致，

whether it's a dog dressed like a human or a clever use of wordplay.

无论是狗穿得像人，还是巧妙的文字游戏，都是如此。

In other words, 表達脈絡

换句话说，

comedy is about learning.

喜剧关乎学习。

But once you've learned the new logical order of the joke,

但一旦你弄懂了笑话里的新逻辑，

well, it ceases to be funny. 用詞

它就不再好笑了。

Which is why jokes are funny the first time, 表達脈絡

所以笑话第一次听时很好笑，

but not every other time after that.

但之后再听，就不一定每次都那么好笑了。

Take a look at this percentage sign. 短語搭配

看看这个百分号。

All right,

好，

so you know what a percent sign is.

你知道百分号是什么。

But besides the percent,

但除了百分号，

there's also a per mil and per myriad symbol. 文化背景

还有千分号和万分号。

But that's not funny,

不过这并不好笑，

because even though it might be new information to you, 語法

因为即便这对你来说可能是新知识，

it still falls right in line with the logic of the percent symbol. 習語

它依然完全符合百分号的逻辑。

But when Demetri Martin shows us with just one more line,

但Demetri Martin告诉我们，只要再添一条线，

you can make it look like a man cheering after taking a dump, 講解

就能让它看起来像一个上完大号后欢呼的男人，

well, that surprises us.

这就让我们感到意外了。

But we don't only laugh when something's funny.

但我们并不只在遇到好笑的事时才笑。

What about tickling?

那挠痒痒呢？

How does that make any sense? 語氣意圖

这又该怎么解释？

Most of us don't like being tickled,

我们大多数人都不喜欢被挠痒痒，

but when tickled,

但一被挠，

we can't help but smile and laugh. 語法

就会忍不住微笑、大笑。

Well,

那么，

a possible explanation is that tickling helps teach children at a young age proper defensive behaviors. 表達脈絡

一种可能的解释是，挠痒痒能帮助孩子从小学习正确的防御行为。

Is it a coincidence that the most ticklish areas are also the most vulnerable and the ones that we instinctively cover when startled? 表達脈絡

最怕痒的部位恰好也是最脆弱、受惊时我们会本能护住的部位，这难道只是巧合吗？

Also,

此外，

because being tickled makes the person laugh,

因为被挠痒痒的人会笑，

it may encourage others to tickle them,

这可能会鼓励其他人继续挠他们，

teaching them these defensive skills. 語法

从而让他们学会这些防御技巧。

Tickling may even play a role before you are born. 短語搭配

挠痒痒甚至可能在你出生前就发挥作用。

In order to avoid being tickled, 語法

为了躲开这种痒感，

a baby gets into a better position to be delivered.

宝宝会调整到更利于分娩的姿势。

Now,

接下来，

physically,

从生理上说，

laughing involves the epiglottis,

笑会用到会厌，

a little flap thing that protects the trachea whenever we swallow so that food and water doesn't go down into our lungs. 語法

它是个小小的瓣状结构；我们吞咽时，它会保护气管，防止食物和水进入肺部。

I know it doesn't look very funny, 語氣意圖

我知道它看起来一点也不好笑，

but this is where the laugh happens.

但笑声就是从这里产生的。

The epiglottis constricts the larynx and we get the LOL. 文化背景

会厌使喉部收缩，于是就有了LOL。

Interestingly,

有意思的是，

the epiglottis actually has taste buds on it,

会厌上其实有味蕾，

which means that anatomically speaking, 短語搭配

这意味着，从解剖学上说，

comedy truly is a matter of taste. 習語

喜剧还真是个“口味”问题。

Get out of my house! 語氣意圖

滚出我家！

And as always, thanks for watching.

一如既往，感谢观看。