Seneca and Beaumarchais would have agreed that there is nothing in life that cannot be seen as funny in some way
it is necessary to cry if something isn't at all humorous
the best way to deal with unpleasant events is to laugh at them
everything in life could be seen as either humorous or tragic
you should be careful about whether a particular situation requires you to laugh or to cry
Laughing and crying are similar in that each action provides the body with stimulation
they both leave people somewhat relaxed
they are both the result of excessive hormones
many people cannot distinguish the difference between them
they are produced by the same stimuli
It is difficult to define humour and identify the causes of laughter because people find it difficult to look at comedy seriously
most people are much more concerned with tragedy
people get nervous when being studied and so cannot laugh
the physical responses to humour are already known
there is no easy way to study emotions scientifically
98 BOUNCING BALLS AND BEATING HEARTS Over 200 years ago, the British chemist Joseph Priestley received an intriguing bouncy ball from an American friend. It was made of a material he had not seen before. Priestley noticed that it could rub away pencil marks, and so he named the material rubber. Not only has the name stuck, but since then rubber has become so important to modern society that it is hard to imagine life without it. The flexibility, elasticity, and durability of natural and synthetic rubbers have made them the choice materials for products that cushion shocks, soften blows, dampen vibrations, transmit power, and perform in many other ways. Tires, automotive components, electrical insulation, conveyor belts, theatre seats, building materials, footwear, elastic bands, tennis balls, surgical gloves, artificial hearts, and refrigerator linings - these are only a sampling of the huge and growing list of products that are completely or partly made of rubber.
