23. Most laughter isn’t because things are funny.
Every culture in the world laughs, but oddly, most of our laughter is not usually a funny response. According to neuroscientist Robert Provine, less than 20 percent of laughter comes from jokes; the rest is a response to daily comments and questions such as, “How have you been?” The resulting laughter, although brief, tends to form social bonds as people who laugh together grow closer.
24. One man has saved more than 200 people from suicide.
It’s a sad fact that the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge is a place where a lot of suicides happen. But one California Highway Patrol officer has done more than any other person to combat this problem. Officer Kevin Briggs, who is fighting depression himself, has talked personally, throughout his career, to more than 200 people down from the proverbial ledge.
Briggs wrote a book called Guardian of the Golden Gate after retiring in 2013 and now goes on speaking tours to promote public discussion about suicide and mental illness.
