Superquark

Ridere e piangere: le emozioni della vita

Why do we laugh and why do we cry? In the second episode of Superquark, the emotions of life, an opportunity to listen to the experts, but also the masters of laughter. Everywhere in the world, we laugh and cry in the same way. It is a universal, innate language. There is no need to learn it. When faced with a certain situation, the brain sends signals that produce a series of contractions of the facial muscles and breathing, causing vocalizations and tears. Some individuals are more reactive, others less so. Some hold back their emotions, others less so. But everyone has burst into tears or laughed in an uncontrollable and exuberant way. Laughing and crying represent an ancient tool for communicating, for expressing joy, pain, pleasure in being together, suffering, requests for help. To explain all this, Piero Angela will interview the psychologist Enrico Ricci Bitti, head of the Research Center on Emotions and Health at the University of Bologna.