gelotology

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English[edit]

WOTD – 21 March 2023

Etymology[edit]

People taking part in a laughter yoga event in the United Kingdom.

From Ancient Greek γέλωτος (gélōtos) (the genitive of γέλως (gélōs, “laughter”)) + English -logy (suffix denoting the study of a particular subject), coined by the anthropologist and linguist Edith Trager with participation from the American psychiatrist William F. Fry, Jr. (1924–2014) in March 1964.[1][2][3]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

gelotology (uncountable)

  1. (psychology, physiology) The study of humour and laughter, and its effects on the body. [from 1964]
    • 1996, Robert R. Cadmus, “Humor and Enhanced Well-being in the Later Years”, in Len Sperry, Harry Prosen, editors, Aging in the Twenty-first Century: A Developmental Perspective (Issues in Aging; 5; Garland Reference Library of Social Science; 1053), New York, N.Y., London: Garland Publishing, →ISBN, page 140:
      Let's not develop a cult of laughology (though the study of laughter in medicine has already been christened gelotology from the Greek root meaning "laughter.") Humor is an important and documented adjunct in the life of both the well and the unwell, but as a therapy it rarely can stand alone.
    • 2005 October 1, Charmaine Liebertz, “A Healthy Laugh”, in John Rennie, editor, Scientific American‎[1], New York, N.Y.: Springer Nature American, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-09-19:
      One of the founders of gelotology (gelos is Greek for "laughter"), Stanford University professor William F. Fry, also experimented on himself in the early 1960s. He drew blood samples at regular intervals while watching Laurel and Hardy and other comedic movies and had the samples analyzed. He found that laughter enhanced the activity of certain immune system cells responsible for killing infectious pathogens.
    • 2013 November 29, Robert T. Muller, “LOL: How Laughter can Improve Your Health”, in Psychology Today‎[2], New York, N.Y.: Sussex Publishers, →ISSN, →OCLC:
      Gelotology, the study of laughter, was established in the late 1960s in an effort to determine the possible physiological and psychological effects humor and laughter can have. One of the pioneers of Gelotology, William F. Fry, a Professor Emeritus at Stanford University, has done extensive research on the physiological benefits of laughter with very encouraging findings.

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

study of humour and laughter, and its effects on the body

References[edit]

  1. ^ William F. Fry, Melanie Allen (1975) “Introduction”, in Make ’Em Laugh: Life Studies of Comedy Writers, Palo Alto, Calif.: Science and Behavior Books, →ISBN, page 9: “Dr. [Edith] Trager originated the word ‘gelotology’ from its Greek roots to designate ‘the science of laughter.’”
  2. ^ William F. Fry, Jr., Con Rader (1977 December) “The Respiratory Components of Mirthful Laughter”, in James V. McConnell, editor, The Journal of Biological Psychology or the Worm Runner’s Digest, volume XIX, number 2, Ann Arbor, Mich.: Mental Health Research Institute, →ISSN, →OCLC, footnote 1, page 49: “[The word gelotologic:] From Gelotology, the science of laughter; established from its Greek root gelos (laughter) in March 1964 by Dr. Edith Trager in participation with Dr. Fry.”
  3. ^ Akira Inoue [et al.] (2022) “Association between Visual Status and the Frequency of Laughter in Older Japanese Individuals: The JAGES Cross-sectional Study”, in BMJ Open Ophthalmology, volume 7, number 1, London: BMJ Publishing Group, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, article no. e000908, page 1, column 2: “[William F.] Fry was a pioneering investigator who, in the 1960s, coined the term gelotology: the study of laughter.”

Further reading[edit]

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