Humor

What is humor? WHy do we laugh? why does it exist? What is its purpose?

laughing, smiling, general happiness induced from these is an optimization to the mental state, that is, when you experience any of these you beget a more productive mental state in the form of satisfaction. humorous anecdotes can be likened to that of nutrients, those which positively affect the human behavior and produce a more productive - or energized - state. as we all know, nature likes her energy, or why would we be alive in the first place?