因何而笑 What makes us laugh?

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Alice...
大家好，欢迎收听六分钟英语。我是爱丽丝。
… and I’m Neil. OK Alice, I’ve got something for you here… a question…
我是尼尔。爱丽丝，我有一个问题要问你。
Yeah.
好的。
Ready? What is the Mexican version of One Direction?
准备好了？你知道墨西哥版本的“单向组合”（One Direction）是什么吗？
Um… No idea.
不知道。
Juan Direction. Get it?
“万向组合”，懂吗？（墨西哥语中 Juan 同“万”的发音）
Very good…
太有意思了。
Juan Direction... You know?
“万向组合”，你懂了？
Yes, yes, I get it.
是的，抓住笑点了。
Never mind. Can you guess what the subject of today’s show is instead?
好了，你猜猜我们今天的主题是什么？
Is it bad jokes?
是冷笑话吗？
Come on! That was a good little gag! Yes. The subject of today’s show is… what makes us laugh. And in this context, to get something, for example a gag – or joke, means to understand it. We all like to laugh – well not you apparently – but most of us do! It’s good for our health, it reduces stress and releases feel-good hormones in the body.
拜托！刚刚的笑话多有意思啊。言归正传，今天节目的主题是什么会让人发笑。在这里，抓住笑点，也就是理解这个笑话的内容。我们都喜欢笑，显而易见你除外，大多数人都喜欢笑。笑对我们的健康有益，可以缓解压力，释放心情愉悦的荷尔蒙。
OK, thank you, Neil.But how about answering today’s quiz question?Which Greek word means the study of laughter and its effects on the body?Is it…a) risology?b) gelotology?or c) comology?
谢谢。现在该回答今天的问题了。下列哪个希腊词是指对笑声及其对身体影响的研究？a) risology?b) gelotology（笑理学）?还是 c) comology?
That’s difficult and I’m going to say c) comology because it’s got the word ’comedy’ in it, you see?
这很难选，我选c) comology，因为这个词看起来是从comedy（喜剧）派生的。
Oh, very good. OK. Well, we’ll find out later if you’re right.Now, did you know, we rarely laugh when we’re on our own?Laughter is a social thing that we generally like to share with other people.
好的，节目的最后我们再看你回答得是否正确。你知道吗，我们独自一人时很少大笑。笑是一种社会性行为，我们喜欢与他人分享笑声。
Really? I laugh when I’m watching cartoons on my own – don’t you, Alice?
真的吗？我自己看卡通片的时候会笑啊。你不会吗？
No, Neil, I don’t.Anyway, some researchers believe that the purpose of laughter is related to the way we bond with each other.And the more we laugh, the more we bond as a group.
我不会的。总之，一些研究学者认为笑帮助我们与他人联系起来。越喜欢笑，越容易凝聚成一个整体。
Interesting idea.It could explain why stand-up comedy – where a comedian performs in front of and talks directly to their audience – is very popular entertainment.But what does it take to keep your audience laughing?Let’s listen to Steve Byrne, a successful US comedian talking about this.
有意思的观点。这就可以解释为什么脱口秀——喜剧演员站在幕前与观众直接交流的表演方式——如此受人欢迎。但是什么会让观众大笑呢？我们听听美国著名喜剧演员Steve Byrne的看法。
The one single thing an aspiring comedian should do is to write, write, write and talk about the things that make them laugh.Selfishness – time to be selfish – time to be a little narcissistic. What is it that makes you laugh?Because that will get you closer to finding your voice.Because ultimately that’s why people come see you.
一个有抱负的喜剧演员应该做的只有一件事，那就是不停地写，然后讲出观众会笑的内容。以自我为中心，这是需要自私，需要一些自恋的。什么会让你开心？因为由己及人会让你更容易发现自己的声音。这也是最终人们前来看你演出的原因。
So comedians need to be selfish and narcissistic – that sounds pretty negative!
所以喜剧演员需要自私和自恋，听起来很负面啊。
Yes, it does. Narcissistic means being too interested in yourself – for example your appearance or other personal qualities.And aspiring means wanting to be successful in your chosen career.
确实，自恋意思是非常欣赏自己，例如欣赏自己的外貌或其他个性。有抱负的是指想要在自己选择的职业中获得成功。
And what does Steve mean when he says comedians need to find their voice?
Steve说喜剧演员要发现自己的声音，这是指什么意思呢？
Well, he means they need to talk about what they think in a way that’s unique – meaning unusual or special – to them.
他的意思是，喜剧演员举要以独一无二的方式讲述他们思考的内容，独一无二也就是独特、特殊。
OK. Let’s listen to Steve again talking about turning 40 and what he finds funny about that.
好的，我们再来听听Steve对即将四十的看法，以及有哪些有意思的观点。
When you turn 40 you will hear this in your life and hopefully you’ll hear this the rest of your life.’You look good for 40. You look good for 52. You look great for 63.’You never hear that when you’re young.You never hear: ’You look good for 19.’
当你步入40岁，你会听见这样的话，也希望你在余生也会听见这样的话。“你40岁看起来很帅。52岁很帅，63岁也很帅”。你年轻的时候不会听见这种。不会听到有人说：“你19岁也很好。”
You think there’s going to be some magic potion – some magic shortcut to it all.It’s writing and getting up on stage.It takes a lot of perseverance and it’s such a competitive occupation.You know, you’ve just got to outwork everybody.
你认为会有魔法药水或者说一些神奇的捷径。就是写作和亮相舞台。这需要极大的毅力，这是很有竞争力的职业。你知道的，你要比每个人做的都好。
Well, we heard Steve making his audience laugh there.And by the way, Alice, you look fantastic for 40.
我们都听到了Steve逗笑了观众。顺便说下，你40岁看起来也很美。
That’s not funny, Neil.I’m only 39 and you know it. Anyway, moving on, Steve says there’s no magic potion or shortcut to success.You have to work hard – it doesn’t happen by itself.And perseverance means to keep on trying to achieve something even when it’s difficult.
这一点都不好笑。我才39，你明明知道的。好了，接着说，Steve说成功没有魔法药水或捷径。你需要努力工作，成功不会随随便便就实现。毅力是指为了实现某件事而一直努力着，即便实现它很困难。
He says you have to outwork everybody – which means to work harder than everybody else. Steve certainly doesn’t make comedy sound much fun, does he?
他说你需要做得比每个人都好，也就是说你要比其他人都努力。Steve并没有让喜剧听起来就很有意思，不是吗？
No. In fact some people say there’s a connection between depression and comedy– that comedians can be introverted and depressive.
没错。事实上一些人认为，喜剧与忧伤是联系在一起的，内向压抑的人更适合做喜剧演员。
Is that right? Introverts are generally quiet people who are more interested in their own thoughts and feelings than in spending time with other people.
真的吗？内向是指性格安静，这样的人更关注自身的想法和感受，不会花太多时间关注其他人的想法。
Yes, you’d think that most comedians would be extroverts – people who are lively and enjoy the company of others.OK I think it’s time for the answer to our quiz question, Neil.I asked: Which Greek word means the study of laughter and its effects on the body?Is it…a) risology?b) gelotology?or c) comology?
是的，你之前应该认为大多数喜剧演员都很外向吧，外向是指性格活泼，喜欢与他人相处。好了，是时候公布问题的答案了。之前我问你：下列哪个希腊词是指对笑声及其对身体影响的研究？a) risology?b) gelotology（笑理学）?还是 c) comology?
Yes. I said c) comology, which I think I’m beginning to regret now.
我选的是c) comology，我现在有点后悔了。
Yes, well, indeed. Sorry, I’m afraid that’s the wrong answer.It’s actually b) gelotology – which comes from the Greek word, gelos, meaning laughter.
好吧，很抱歉，你答错了。正确答案是b) gelotology（笑理学），它来自希腊词gelos，是指笑声。
OK. You can stop sniggering now, Alice and just tell us today’s words once again?
好了，你不要幸灾乐祸了。爱丽丝，我们再听听今天的单词吧？
Alright then. Here they are:
好的，今天听到的单词有：
get something (e.g. a joke)
抓住笑点
Gag
笑话
stand-up comedy
脱口秀
Narcissistic
自恋的
Aspiring
有抱负的
Unique
独特的
Perseverance
毅力
Outwork
比其他人做得好
Introverts
内向型人格
Extroverts
外向型人格
Well, that just about brings us to the end of today’s 6 Minute English.
今天的六分钟英语就到这里。
See you next time.
我们下期节目再会。
Bye.
再见。