# Kamala Harris's laugh: why a belly laugh wins votes - **Episode:** [120](https://agents.truthliesandwork.com/episodes/120.md) (2024-08-06) - **Type:** news-roundup - **Tags:** politics, election, kamala-harris - **Time:** 12:52–17:56 (start 772s) - **Listen:** [https://truthliesandwork.com/120?t=772](https://truthliesandwork.com/120?t=772) --- [12:52] Leanne Elliott: They've got an election. We called it the Jenny-lec. Um, for a new president [12:58] Al Elliott: Oh, right [12:59] Leanne Elliott: Not heard about this? [13:00] Al Elliott: No, I didn't know there was anyone in the running for a new president [13:02] Leanne Elliott: Well, yes, there is. Um, I mean, it's been quite, quite a roller coaster. I mean, I'm not, I'm not gonna go into it. I'm not going to comment on the assassination attempt and that photograph. I'm not going to talk about Biden's debate, um, or even the fact that the US could have its first woman president. Um, But actually, that's not entirely true because I do want to talk about Kamala Harris, but maybe not in the way that you think. I saw a really great article in Inc. magazine or Inc. website from Jessica Stillman. I'll leave a link in the show notes, but it is about Kamala Harris's laugh. Have you seen her? Have you seen her laugh? [13:36] Al Elliott: No [13:36] Leanne Elliott: And the videos of it? [13:37] Al Elliott: No [13:37] Leanne Elliott: So she has a proper belly laugh, much like myself actually. But apparently Kamala's full belly laughs are becoming a defining feature of her public and political persona. Um, it seems that some people love it, some people think it's excessive. Um, but as Jessica points out, um, whatever, it's the psychological angle that's, that's interesting. So Jessica reported that according to psychologists, laughter generates energy and motivation. Um, they explain that joy is often underestimated, especially in a world where we're more attuned to our negative emotions. Um, so yeah, it's, it's, it's a really interesting article and looks Lots of different areas of psychology. But it also does point out as well, when we're devoid of those positive emotions, life can feel a bit dull and uninspiring. Some of the research that Jessica referenced was that humour activates the brain's dopamine reward system, which is critical for motivation and long-term memory. In educational settings, humour helps students retain more information. We've talked about that research before in the show. In the workplace. Stanford Business School professors have found that humor and laughter make for better leadership and more effective teamwork. And even Martin Seligman, the OG, the GOAT, I think the kids would say— although that's probably so millennial now, isn't it? Um, the pioneer of positive psychology, he found that happiness leads to success, not the other way around. Um, and his massive study of a million soldiers showed that positive emotions boost performance and career success. Although there is some debate about Martin Seligman's research Which you may remember from our episode on resilience with Bruce Daisley. So some words of caution around that. But yeah, regardless of political views, I don't think you can really deny that Kamala Harris's entry into the race has injected a bit of energy into the campaign, replacing that steady, somewhat low-energy presence of Biden with a more vibrant and joyful persona. So it does seem to be splitting opinion, but that's what you want to do in an election. And I like as well the contrast that we're seeing in terms of like the joy, rather maybe the serious fight, fight, fight that we're seeing from, um, the Republican camp. So yeah, there you go. What do you think, Al? Are you for a belly laugh or not? [15:43] Al Elliott: 100%. Love a belly laugh. Uh, I also think it's— I was thinking it's kind of funny that, um, that I think Kamala is just about to turn 60, and, uh, and she does just by, by compare— comparison that she seems so young and vibrant and full of youth, and she's about to turn 60, uh, which is kind of cool. It just feels that the other, the opponent has kind of dropped the ball a little bit and gone a bit too far into they are awful, aren't they awful, are you all with me? Because there was an Association of Black Journalists, I think, where he kind of fudged it a little bit. Yeah [16:17] Leanne Elliott: And I think that, um, you know, you're too old to be president is kind of coming back to bite him in the ass, that one as well [16:22] Al Elliott: Yes, yes, it is. Anyway, anything else to add on that, my love? [16:25] Leanne Elliott: No, I just think it's really interesting. And I think I, for one, in a world where there is so much Um, so much happening. I mean, if you're in the UK, you would have seen the news this week, and what's been happening in the Northwest is shocking. There's a lot of negativity, there's a lot of anxiety around that. So I think anyone who can bring a bit of joy, a bit of happiness— laughter is contagious— I'm all for that. But as we said, it's regardless of political views. I think it's just a very fresh, um, a fresh thing that we're seeing from Kamala Harris's energy rather than her political perspectives. So we'll see. It makes for a much more interesting contest in November, I think [17:00] Al Elliott: Yeah. And when you compare Kamala's youth with JD Vance, I think is the running mate, and his, um— [17:06] Leanne Elliott: He's, he's a character [17:08] Al Elliott: He's an odd— he's an odd fish [17:10] Leanne Elliott: Oh, honestly, we could get into the whole— do you know the cat lady thing? [17:13] Al Elliott: Yeah [17:14] Leanne Elliott: Sit down, man. Behave [17:15] Al Elliott: Get back to your couch. If you know, you know [17:18] Leanne Elliott: Honestly [17:18] Al Elliott: Anyway, so after— Oh yeah [17:21] Leanne Elliott: Oh yeah. Did you read about that as well? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, there's so much. It's just brilliant. It's just brilliant. What entertainment [17:26] Al Elliott: It's like if West Wing was a, was a comedy, then that's what we're watching live, um, at the moment. Anyways, we'll be back after this very short break, and we're going to be talking about the future of work. And then we've got the world-famous Weekly Workplace Surgery with the lovely Leah, and she's going to answer your questions. We'll see you in a second [17:52] Al Elliott: We actually have a lot in common. We both use behavioral science to help people do better at work