This is the last part of five about the essence of humor and what kind of effects it has on the human body and/or mind.

Humour comes with certain consequences. These can be distinguished by:

• physical behaviours
• social behaviours
• psychological behaviours
• emotional behaviours
• cognitive behaviours.

Cognitive Behaviours

Humour develops around the age of three years. How exactly this happens, is unclear. There has been little written on this subject. During a 2002 symposium, the anthropologist Prof. van Hooff explained that humour exists with extremely young children (from three month old). This develops during the interac- tion between the parents and the child. If par- ents show the child humour, then the young child will mimic this behaviour. When the child grows older he will give his own inter- pretation to the concept of humour. Children learn by mimicking their parents/guardians. Babies and children use humour and laughter to reduce anxiety, anger or pain. Humour is subjected to age, education, interest & pref- erence, geographical position and culture. In 2012 a study was done by Mireault, Sparrow, Poutre, Perdue and Macke, ‘The laughing babies study’. It came to the same conclusion as Prof. Van Hooff in 2002.

When did you discover your kind of humour and what kind of humour do you have?