Laughter

Laughter is a physical reaction in humans and some other species of primate, consisting typically of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system. It is a response to certain external or internal stimuli. Laughter can arise from such activities as being tickled, or from humorous stories or thoughts. Most commonly, it is considered a visual expression of a number of positive emotional states, such as joy, mirth, happiness, relief, etc. On some occasions, however, it may be caused by contrary emotional states such as embarrassment, apology, or confusion such as nervous laughter or courtesy laugh. Age, gender, education, language, and culture are all factors as to whether a person will experience laughter in a given situation.

Laughter is a part of human behavior regulated by the brain, helping humans clarify their intentions in social interaction and providing an emotional context to conversations. Laughter is used as a signal for being part of a group — it signals acceptance and positive interactions with others. Laughter is sometimes seen as contagious, and the laughter of one person can itself provoke laughter from others as a positive feedback. This may account in part for the popularity of laugh tracks in situation comedy television shows.

Hold Me Up

Hold Me Up is the third studio album by American rock band Goo Goo Dolls, released by Metal Blade Records in 1990. This is considered the band's true major-label debut, as previous albums were organized by the band themselves. It features their first single, "There You Are," which became their first music video as well. Some consider this album the Goo Goo Dolls' last true "garage rock" album. Also, this marks the beginning of John Rzeznik's emergence as the band's principal lead vocalist. This album was rereleased in 1990.

Track listing

Personnel

Just the Way You Are EP

An EP featuring the studio version of the title song and three live tracks from "Hold Me Up" was released in 1991.

Laughing (disambiguation)

Laughing may refer to:

See also

Noam Chomsky

Avram Noam Chomsky (/ˈnoʊm ˈtʃɒmski/; born December 7, 1928) is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, logician, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes described as "the father of modern linguistics," Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy, and one of the founders of the field of cognitive science. He has spent most of his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is Institute Professor Emeritus, and is the author of over 100 books, primarily on politics and linguistics. Ideologically, he aligns with anarcho-syndicalism and libertarian socialism.

Born to a middle-class Ashkenazi Jewish family in Philadelphia, Chomsky developed an early interest in anarchism from alternative bookstores in New York City. At the age of sixteen he began studies at the University of Pennsylvania, taking courses in linguistics, mathematics, and philosophy. He married fellow linguist Carol Schatz in 1949. From 1951 to 1955 he was appointed to Harvard University's Society of Fellows, where he developed the theory of transformational grammar for which he was awarded his doctorate in 1955. That year he began teaching at MIT, in 1957 emerging as a significant figure in the field of linguistics for his landmark work Syntactic Structures, which laid the basis for the scientific study of language, while from 1958 to 1959 he was a National Science Foundation fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study. He is credited as the creator or co-creator of the universal grammar theory, the generative grammar theory, the Chomsky hierarchy, and the minimalist program. Chomsky also played a pivotal role in the decline of behaviorism, being particularly critical of the work of B. F. Skinner.

Chomsky (surname)

Chomsky (Belarusian: Хомскі, Russian: Хомский, Ukrainian: Хомський, Hebrew: חומסקי‎, "from (Vyoska) Khomsk (nearby Brest, now Belarus)") is a surname of Belarusian origin. Notable people with the surname include:

Elsie, William, Avram Noam, Carol, Marvin, and Aviva are all closely related. William and Elsie were husband and wife. Avram Noam, generally referred by his given name Noam, is their son. Carol and Noam were married until Carol's death in 2008; Aviva is their daughter. Marvin is Noam's cousin. Also, Judith is Noam's sister in-law.

Chomsky (disambiguation)

Chomsky may refer to :

Music

See also