Name: Tomagan, Cherybel
Paired with: Salvador, Arienne Isabel
Apply your Knowledge
Now, let’s check what you have learned.
Reflect on the following questions, then answer the following questions logically.
1. Why do human beings laugh?
People from all cultures laugh, although we may laugh at different things.
Humans start laughing as early as 3 months into life, even before we can
speak. Laughter clearly serves as a social function. It is a way for us to signal
to another person that we wish to connect with them. Laughter may be a
replacement for the act of grooming each other. To groom someone else is a
generous, one-sided act because it requires trust and investment of time.
Unlike grooming, it can be done in a larger group and gives a more immediate
impression. When we genuinely laugh, we signal that we are comfortable and
feel like we belong. According to the Mayo Clinic, there is also a multitude of
physical health benefits of laughter. It can increase your oxygen intake, which
can stimulate your heart, lungs, and muscles. Laughing further releases
endorphins, the feel-good chemicals our bodies produce to make us feel
happy and even relieve pain or stress. The act of increasing and then
decreasing our heart rate and blood pressure through laughter is also
ultimately calming and tension-relieving. Laughter can even boost our
immune system response through the release of stress-and-illness reducing
neuropeptides. So, laughter signals cooperation, a key aspect of human
survival, and promotes a healthier body to boot.
2. Why did human species develop to be dominant on the planet?
There are different types of individual species that inhabit the earth —some
very similar to each other, some are different. The definition of species is not
precise and may be difficult to decide the exact classification. Thus, human
species are one most common classified group specifically pertaining to
human-beings. Humans have the unique ability to walk upright and a complex
brain, which enables us to organize and co-operate in large groups, reasons
why humans became the dominant form of life on Earth. In addition, humans
have powerful compensating properties compared with other species and are
developed to be dominant to protect, care and to enable developments on
this planet Earth. As the humans are the only ones to have much ability to do
those and many more. Hence, we have repeatedly demonstrated these
capacities throughout recorded history.
3. What distinguishes human brain from the other species?
Humans possess cognitive abilities that are different from other creatures.
Self-awareness distinguishes humans from most other species. In psychology,
self-awareness is defined as metacognition, awareness of one’s ability to
think. In humans, metacognition, and other advanced cognitive skills, such as
social intelligence, planning and reasoning, are all thought to depend on a
