Tickling and Laughter - IELTS Reading Sample With Explanation

IELTS Reading section contains three different passages and forty questions. IELTS Reading test examines how well a candidate can understand a passage which can be based on a wide range of topics like science, technology, business, arts, social studies, and more. This IELTS reading sample - Tickling and Laughter is an IELTS Academic topic. This passage contains three question types:

1. Matching Statements
2. Matching Information
3. Sentence Completion

Candidates can prepare for IELTS reading from IELTS reading practice papers.

Tickling and Laughter - IELTS Reading Sample

1. The fingers of an outstretched aim are nearing your body; you bend away folding your torso, bending your head to your shoulder in hopes that you don’t get tickled; but the inevitable occurs: yon arc tickled and in hysterics, you chuckle, titter, and burst into uncontrollable laughter. Why do we laugh when we are tickled?
2. Tickling is caused by a light sensation across our skin. At times the light sensation can cause itching; however, most of the time it causes giggling. If a feather is gently moved across the surface of the skin, it can also cause tickling and giggling. Heavy laughter is caused by someone or something placing repeated pressure on a person and tickling a particular area. The spots tickled often are feet, toes, sides, underarms, and neck which cause a great deal of laughter. Yngve Zotterman from Karolinska Institute has found that tickling sensations involve signals from nerve fibres. These nerve fibres are associated with pain and touch. Also, Zotterman has discovered tickling sensations to be associated not only with nerve fibres but also with a sense of touch because people who have lost pain sensations still laugh when tickled. But really, why do we laugh? Why are we not able to tickle ourselves? What part of the brain is responsible for laughter and humour? Why do we say some people have no sense of humour?
3. Research has shown that laugher is more than just a person’s voice and movement and that it requires the coordination of many muscles throughout the body. Laughter also increases blood pressure and heart rate, changes breathing, reduces levels of certain neurochemicals (catecholamines, hormones) and provides a boost to die immune system. Can laughter improve health? It may be a good way for people to relax because muscle tension is reduced after laughing. Human tests have found some evidence that humorous videos and tapes can reduce feelings of pain, prevent negative stress reactions and boost the brain’s biological battle against infection.
4. Researchers believe we process humour and laughter through a complex pathway of brain activity that encompasses three main brain components. In one new study, researchers used imaging equipment to photograph the brain activity of healthy volunteers while they underwent a sidesplitting assignment of reading written jokes, viewing cartoons from The New Yorker magazine as well as “The Far Side” and listening to digital recordings of laughter. Preliminary results indicate that the humour-processing pathway includes parts of the frontal lobe brain area, important for cognitive processing the supplementary motor area, important for movement; and the nucleus accumbens, associated with pleasure. Investigations support the notion that parts of the frontal lobe are involved in humour. Subjects’ brains were imaged while they were listening to jokes. An area of the frontal lobe was activated only when they thought a joke was funny. In a study that compared healthy individuals with people who had damage to their frontal lobes, the subjects with damaged frontal lobes were more likely to choose wrong punch lines to written jokes and didn’t laugh or smile as much at funny cartoons or jokes.
5. Even though we may know more about what parts of the brain are responsible for humour, it is still hard to explain why we don’t laugh or giggle when we tickle ourselves. Darwin theorized within “The Expressions of the Emotions in Man and Animals” that there was a link between tickling and laughter because of the anticipation of pleasure. Because we cannot tickle ourselves and have caused laughter, Darwin speculated surprise from another person touching a sensitive spot must have caused laughter. Some scientists believe that laughing caused by tickling is a built-in reflex even babies have. If we tickle ourselves in the same spot as our friend tickled us, we do not laugh as we did previously. The information sent to our spinal cord and brain should be the same. Apparently, for tickling to work, the brain needs tension and surprise. When we tickle ourselves, we know exactly what will happen…there is no tension or surprise. How the brain uses this information about tension and surprise is still a mystery, but there is some evidence that the cerebellum may be involved. Because one part of the brain tells another: “It’s just you. Don’t get excited”. Investigations suggest that during self-tickling, the cerebellum tells an area called the somatosensory cortex what sensation to expect, and that dampens the tickling sensation. It looks as if the killjoy is found in the cerebellum. Further explorations to understand tickling and laughter were conducted by Christenfeld and Harris. Within ‘The Mystery of Ticklish Laughter and “Can a Machine Tickleyn they explained that people laughed equally whether tickled by a machine or by a person. The participants were not aware that who or what was tickling them. However, the laughter was equally resounded. It is suggested that tickling response is a reflex, which, like Darwin suggested earlier, is dependent on the element of surprise.
6. Damage to any one part of the brain may affect one’s overall ability to process humour. Peter Derks, a professor of psychology, conducted his research with a group of scientists at NASA-Langley in Hampton. Using a sophisticated electroencephalogram (EEG), they measured the brain activity of 10 people exposed to humorous stimuli. How quickly our brain recognizes the incongruity that deals with most humour and attaches an abstract meaning to it determines whether we laugh. However, different people find different jokes funny. That can be due to several factors, including differences in personality, intelligence, mental state, and probably mood. But according to Derks, the majority of people recognize when a situation is meant to be humorous. In a series of experiments, he noticed that several patients recovering from brain injuries could not distinguish between something funny and something not.
7. Dr Shibata of the University of Rochester School of Medicine said our neurons get tickled when we hear a joke. The brain’s ‘Tunny bone” is located at the right frontal lobe just above the right eye and appears critical to our ability to recognize a joke. Dr Shibata gave his patients MRI scans to measure brain activity, trying to find out what part of the brain is particularly active while telling the punch line of a joke as opposed to the rest of the joke and funny cartoons in comparison to parts of the cartoons that are not funny. The jokes “tickled” the frontal lobes. The scans also showed activity in the nucleus accumbens, which is likely related to our feeling of mirth after hearing a good joke and our “addiction” to humour. While his research was about humour, the results could help lead to answers and solutions to depression. Parts of the brain that are active during humour are actually abnormal in patients with depression. Eventually, brain scans might be used to assess patients with depression and other mood disorders. The research may also explain why some stroke victims lose their sense of humour or suffer from other personality changes. The same part of the brain is also associated with social and emotional judgment and planning.

Question 1-7

Reading Passage 1 has 7 paragraphs A-G

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the appropriate letter, A-G, in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.

NB you may use any letter more than once

1. Location of a brain section essential to the recognition of jokes
2. Laughter enhances immunity
3. Individual differences and the appreciation of humour
4. Parts of the brain responsible for tickling reflex
5. Neuropsychological mechanisms by which humour and laughter work
6. The connection between tickling and nerve fibres
7. Patients with emotional disorders

(Guide: Candidates need to study the statement, and select the suitable paragraph describing it)

1. Location of a brain section is essential to the recognition of jokes

Answer: Section G

Supporting Sentence: The brain’s ‘Tunny bone” is located at the right frontal lobe just above the right eye and appears critical to our ability to recognize a joke.

Keyword: ‘Tunny bone”, right frontal lobe, above the right eye

Keyword Location: Section G, 2nd line

Explanation: In the right frontal lobe, just above the right eye, lies the brain's 'Tunny bone,' which may be important to our capacity to perceive a joke. The frontal lobes were "tickled" by the jokes. The scans also indicated activity in the nucleus accumbens, which is likely connected to our sensation of laughter after hearing a good joke, as well as our "addiction" to humor.

Also check:

2. Laughter enhances immunity

Answer: Section c

Supporting Sentence: Laughter also increases blood pressure and heart rate, changes breathing, reduces levels of certain neurochemicals (catecholamines, hormones), and provides a boost to the dying immune system.

Keyword: Reduces neurochemicals (catecholamines, hormones), increases blood pressure and heart rate, changes breathing

Keyword Location: Section C, 3rd line

Explanation: Laughter alleviates the bodily effects of stress. When you laugh, your core muscles stiffen up. This stress momentarily raises your blood pressure and circulation. But then, in the aftermath of good laughter, the stress dissipates. This causes your heart rate and blood pressure to drop, inducing a state of total relaxation. Laughter causes a rush of endorphins to be released. Endorphins are naturally occurring “feel-good” molecules that have the potential to ease both stress and pain. Laughing also reduces the levels of stress hormones and increases the activity of immune cells and antibodies.

3. Individual differences and the appreciation of humor

Answer: Section c

Supporting Sentence: However, different people find different jokes funny. That can be due to several factors, including differences in personality, intelligence, mental state, and probably mood.

Keywords: Personality, intelligence, mental state, and probably mood.

Keyword Location: Section F, 5th line

Explanation: Humor appeals to people of all ages and cultures. Most individuals can feel humor—that is, be amused, smile, or laugh at something amusing (such as a pun or joke)—and so are thought to have a sense of humor. The hypothetical individual who lacks a sense of humor would most certainly find the inciting behavior odd, weird, or even illogical. Though ultimately determined by personal taste, the degree to which a person finds something amusing is determined by a variety of factors such as geographical location, culture, age, amount of education, intellect, and circumstances.

4. Parts of the brain responsible for tickling reflex

Answer: Section c

Supporting Sentence: The information sent to our spinal cord and brain should be the same. Apparently, for tickling to work, the brain needs tension and surprise. When we tickle ourselves, we know exactly what will happen…there is no tension or surprise. How the brain uses this information about tension and surprise is still a mystery, but there is some evidence that the cerebellum may be involved.

Keyword: Cerebellum, Spinal cord, Brain

Keyword Location: Section E, 9th line

Explanation: Cerebellum is part of the brain that monitors movement. It can predict feelings when your own movements generate a tickle, but not when somebody else triggers them. Your brain's cerebellum uses this prediction to prevent other areas of the brain from responding to a tickle when you attempt it.

There are two areas of the brain that are involved in the sensation of tickling. The somatosensory cortex processes touch and the anterior cingulate cortex processes pleasant information. When you tickle yourself, both of these areas are less active than when you tickle someone else, which helps to explain why it doesn't feel tickly and pleasurable.

5. Neuropsychological mechanisms by which humor and laughter work

Answer: Section D

Supporting Sentence: Preliminary results indicate that the humor-processing pathway includes parts of the frontal lobe brain area, important for cognitive processing the supplementary motor area, important for movement; and the nucleus accumbens, associated with pleasure. Investigations support the notion that parts of the frontal lobe are involved in humor.

Keyword: Cognitive Processing, Supplementary motor area, nucleus accumbens

Keyword Location: Section D, 5th line

Explanation: The neuronal circuit in the brain controls laughing. The right frontal lobe of the brain is the part of the brain that processes humor. Cognitive and emotional data are connected in this part of the brain. To understand comedy, the human brain must go through two phases. For the first step, one must be attentive to humor's element of surprise. When one understands that something unexpected has happened, the next step is to seek anything that makes sense beyond what is unexpected.

6. The connection between tickling and nerve fibers

Answer: Section B

Supporting Sentence: Yngve Zotterman from Karolinska Institute has found that tickling sensations involve signals from nerve fibers. These nerve fibers are associated with pain and touch. Also, Zotterman has discovered tickling sensations to be associated not only with nerve fibers but also with the sense of touch because people who have lost pain sensations still laugh when tickled.

Keywords: Nerve fibers, Tickling sensation, sense of touch

Keyword Location: Section B, 6th line

Explanation: Your skin has millions of tiny nerve endings that send signals to your brain when you touch anything or are exposed to something like heat or cold. Whenever these nerve endings are softly touched — by someone else fingertips, for example — they transmit a message to your brain, which then processes it. The tickling sensation caused by a mild touch is the outcome of the study of two brain areas. The somatosensory cortex is responsible for processing touch, such as the pressure that comes with it. The signal supplied from the skin's sensory receptors also goes through the anterior cingulate cortex, which is responsible for pleasant sensations. Together, they generate the tickling feeling.

7. Patients with emotional disorders

Answer: Section G

Supporting Sentence: While his research was about humor, the results could help lead to answers and solutions to depression. Parts of the brain that are active during humor are actually abnormal in patients with depression. Eventually, brain scans might be used to assess patients with depression and other mood disorders

Keywords: Depression, Abnormal, mood disorders

Keyword Location: Section G, 7th line

Explanation: Depression is a disorder in which neurotransmitters in the brain, such as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin, are decreased, and something is amiss with the brain's mood regulation circuit. Laughter has the ability to modify dopamine and serotonin activity. Furthermore, endorphins released by laughing might be beneficial when people are feeling uneasy or sad.

8. Darwin 

Answer: A - The surprise factor, combined with the anticipation of pleasure, causes laughter when tickled.

Supporting Sentence: However, the laughter was equally resounded. It is suggested that tickling response is a reflex, which, like Darwin suggested earlier, is dependent on the element of surprise.

Keywords: Surprise, Reflex

Keyword Location: Section E, 16th line

Explanation: Darwin suggests that there has to be an element of surprise for one to be feeling ticklish. That is the reason when one tickles oneself they do not feel the sensation of laughing.

9. Christenfeld and Harris

Answer: C - People also laugh when tickled by a machine if they are not aware of it.

Supporting Sentence: Further explorations to understand tickling and laughter were conducted by Christenfeld and Harris. Within ‘The Mystery of Ticklish Laughter and “Can a Machine Tickleyn they explained that people laughed equally whether tickled by a machine or by a person. The participants were not aware that who or what was tickling them. However, the laughter was equally resounded.

Keyword: Machine, not aware

Keyword Location: Section E, 16th line

Explanation: Tickle merely necessitates an element of unpredictability or uncontrollability, and is more akin to a reflex or other stereotyped motor pattern. According to reflex theory, our "tickle machine" should be as effective as a human in producing laughter.

10. Yngve Zotterman

Answer: F - Jokes and funny cartoons activate the frontal lobes.

Supporting Sentence: Yngve Zotterman from Karolinska Institute has found that tickling sensations involve signals from nerve fibers.

Keyword: Tickling, Nerve fibers, Signal

Keyword Location: Section E, 16th line

Explanation: The tickling sensation appears to entail impulses from nerve fibers involved with both pain and touch.

11. Peter Derks

Answer: D - People have different tastes for jokes and humor.

Supporting Sentence: However, different people find different jokes funny. That can be due to several factors, including differences in personality, intelligence, mental state, and probable mood

Keyword: Different people, personality, intelligence, mental state, and mood

Keyword Location: Section F, 5th line

Explanation: People react differently to jokes based on their culture, personality, IQ, mental condition, and mood. People who suffer from depression may not react to a joke in the same manner as a normal person.

Questions 12-14

Researchers believe three brain components to be involved in the processing of humor and laughter Results from one study using brain 12Imaging Equipment indicate that parts of the brain responsible for 13 Cognitive Processing movement and pleasure are involved through a sophisticated pathway. Test subjects who suffered from frontal lobes damages had greater chances of picking 14 Wrong Punch Line of jokes or did not respond to funny cartoons or jokes.

12. Answer: Imaging Equipment

Supporting Sentence: In one new study, researchers used imaging equipment to photograph die brain activity of healthy volunteers while they underwent a sidesplitting assignment of reading written jokes, viewing cartoons from The New Yorker magazine as well as “The Far Side” and listening to digital recordings of laughter

Keyword: Imaging Equipment

Keyword Location: Section D, 2nd line

Explanation: The brain activity of volunteers was scanned using imaging equipment to understand which part of the brain was active for processing humor.

13. Answer: Cognitive Processing

Supporting Sentence: Preliminary results indicate that the humor-processing pathway includes parts of the frontal lobe brain area, important for cognitive processing the supplementary motor area, important for movement; and the nucleus accumbens, associated with pleasure.

Keyword: Cognitive Processing, Supplementary motor area, Frontal Lobe brain area.

Keyword Location: Section D, 5th line

Explanation: The frontal lobe area is used for cognitive processing the movement associated with pleasure.

14. Answer: Wrong punch line

Supporting Sentence: In a study that compared healthy individuals with people who had damage to their frontal lobes, the subjects with damaged frontal lobes were more likely to choose wrong punch lines to written jokes and didn’t laugh or smile as much at funny cartoons or jokes.

Keyword: Damaged frontal lobes

Keyword Location: Section D, 10th line

Explanation: In people when the frontal lobe is damaged they will not be able to pick the punch line of humor and thus will not be able to laugh or smile at jokes or cartoons.