We have all heard the old adage ”laughter is the best medicine” and there is certainly some truth to that. In Professor Jonathan Silvertown’s new book, The Comedy of Error: Why Evolution Made Us Laugh, he explores the scientific and evolutionary basis for humour in a unique and utterly compelling manner split over a succinct seven chapters. There is comedy in errors. Shakespeare showed us so, though the connection between error and humour has been recognised for millennia. It turns out that errors are much more than just a plot device for humorous tales – they are the very essence of what we find funny. Errors are processed, compared with expectation and those judged humorous ricochet around the brain, producing laughter. Suddenly, with this discovery, the two cultures of science and art have collided and like strangers meeting in a pub, we find them bonding over jokes.

This book is witness to that unexpected and fruitful encounter. We probe the questions it throws up, catch the jokes that fly out and find deeper meaning in frivolity. Why are some errors funny and others not? Why is laughter involuntary and infectious? Laughter is hard-wired into the human psyche, which immediately conjures the question: what good is it? Answering that question is the ultimate purpose of this book. Why did evolution make us laugh? This is an accessible, amusing and thought-provoking read from beginning to end and is definitely a book both comedians and those who enjoy comedy will want to pick up. I learned a multitude of new and fascinating information as Silvertown takes us along with him on a deep dive as he attempts to shine a light on long-standing questions associated with humour and why it is so important in our daily lives. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Scribe for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really interested in grabbing this book as I have a deep love for comedy and how laughter affects us. Jonathan Silvertown delivers with a short but sweet little background of just that. Silvertown goes through the evolution of the laugh, from the basic smile to what exactly triggers us to go from giggles to full on laughter. The book is sprinkled throughout with many jokes - if you don't like puns and dad jokes, you may want to steer clear, but luckily I'm a sucker for them. If you have an interest in getting a little more knowledge on why you laugh, this is a great morsel of a book that'll provide just that.