Can a book really make you laugh out loud?

In other words, we all love to laugh.

We love to laugh so much that a whole industry exists to make us do just that, through sitcoms, satires, comedy clubs, festivals and, of course, books. But can that last one – books – really send us rolling in the (bus) aisles? Different things make different people laugh.

Most of us can remember clutching our sides at the cinema, trying not to laugh too loudly at work while watching a funny video or getting sore cheeks at a stand up gig. When was the last time, however, you really laughed your guts up at a book? Some people might say they often hoot with laughter while reading.

They might say they’ve had to stop reading certain books on public transport to save their embarrassment. But I’d be willing to wager that the majority would probably agree that they laugh inwardly or titter, at most, when reading a funny book. Why is that? What is it about reading that makes loud laughter less likely? Those who study laughter, namely gelotologists, finds that we humans are 30 times more likely to laugh in social situations than alone – the difference between watching a comedy in a packed cinema versus an empty one. Reading is a very individual activity. For most, it doesn’t take long to feel self-conscious if you are the only person laughing in the room.

In an evolutionary sense, laughter exists to help us form bonds with other people. Probably.

But, like many other human behaviours, it’s hard to envision what the full evolutionary benefit of laughter might have been. The father of dark humour in children’s literature Roald Dahl described laughter as delayed fear.

His musings certainly chime with the thoughts of some philosophers that laughter might have begun as a shared relief at passing danger – a relaxation of our fight or flight response.

This type of humour, relief, is one of three humour theories alongside incongruity and superiority.

The makers of Marvel movies are experts at using it; slipping in one-liners, quips and visual gags into the most high-octane and perilous scenes. However, resolving fear in a finger-click is harder to do on the page than on a screen. Our eyes must travel across a line to reach the gag – we’re more active than passive.

In order to trigger laughter, surprise and a sense of danger also need to be present.

That’s the reason why we can’t tickle ourselves and it might just offer us a clue as to why the generally relaxing act of reading doesn’t get us giggling.

Regardless of how loudly or not they make you laugh, reading funny books is still great for you. An inner smile is still a smile.

Laughing on the inside will still release tension from your being. Plus, reading makes you smarter, sharper and a wittier presence in your friends’ lives. Reading books might not make you laugh out loud but they will certainly help you to make others do just that.