Kamala Harris’s Laugh Is a Campaign Issue. Psychologists Insist It’s Also a Lesson in the Energizing Power of Joy
Do you like Kamala Harris’s full belly laughs?
Some people see them as a reassuring sign of her humanity. Others find them over the top and even deranged. I’m not a political pundit, so I’ll leave you to decide for yourself what if anything Harris’s laugh communicates about her fitness to be president (or the double standards facing ambitious women).
But while I might not be an expert in politics or comedy, I am someone who has written about psychology for 15 years. So I will point out that psychology has plenty to say about deep, genuine laughter.
A mountain of research — and the testimony of several geniuses — suggests that, whatever you’re trying to do in life, laughter is basically rocket fuel for your ambitions.
Laughter = energy
Whether you love or loathe Harris, it’s undeniable that her replacing Biden at the top of the ticket has injected an immense amount of energy into the presidential race. Suddenly, in the place of a shuffling president with a whispery voice, there are brat and coconut memes, rowdy rallies, and absurd jokes about the other team’s illicit contact with a couch.
