Health & Science

The Science of Humor

KUER 90.1 | By Doug Fabrizio

Published March 31, 2014 at 4:33 PM MDT

"I just shot an elephant in my pajamas," said Groucho Marx. "How he got in my pajamas I don't know." To the neuroscientist Scott Weems, jokes like Groucho’s aren’t just funny; they’re opportunities to explore the brain’s inner-workings. Weems wants to know why we find things funny and why our brains and bodies respond to inconsistent ideas by laughing. He joins us Tuesday to talk about what humor reveals about how we think and feel, and its deep connection to elephants in pajamas…and our humanity.

Scott Weems is a cognitive neuroscientist and the author of Ha! The Science of When We Laugh and Why [Amazon|Indiebound].

Health & Science

Doug Fabrizio

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

See stories by Doug Fabrizio