Neuroscientist Robert Provine logged over 1,200 bursts of laughter in everyday conversations. Only 10 to 20% followed anything genuinely funny; the rest punctuated bland lines like “see you later.” We laugh about 30 times more often with others than alone, and speakers laugh more than listeners. Laughter is first and foremost a social signal.
Remembering is not replaying a recording — it is rebuilding. Each time you recall a memory, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before being stored again. That is why two people can sincerely remember the same event… differently.
In 2003, Johnson and Goldstein compared European countries. Where you must tick a box to become a donor, consent rates ranged from 4% to 28%. Where you're a donor by default unless you opt out, they topped 85%. People aren't more generous on one side; most simply stick with whatever option was chosen for them.