Why Kamala Harris' laugh is a secret weapon

Donald Trump couldn't resist the temptation of bringing up Kamala Harris' laugh last month, shortly after the vice president stepped up to be the likely Democratic presidential nominee. 

"I call her laughing Kamala," Trump said at a recent rally in Michigan. "You ever watch her laugh? She's crazy. You can tell a lot by a laugh. No, she's crazy, she's nuts."

Harris' rival for the US presidency never tires of denigrating the incumbent US vice president. He makes fun of her both as a woman and as a person of color. His online followers join in, spreading insulting memes and fake videos. But Harris and her campaign team have parried these attacks by turning the tables. Supporters join in online, especially on TikTok. Channels that normally focus on showbiz celebrities are stylizing Kamala Harris as a pop icon.

And time and again, the focus is on a cheerful Kamala Harris who can laugh heartily at herself, lets the nasty campaigns bounce off her and sometimes hits back. For example, she has said that as a public prosecutor she had to deal with criminals of all kinds: "Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump's type."

Humor can be disarming

By referring to Trump as "weird," she drives him up the wall, only to then devote herself to her difficult campaign issues with the necessary "statesperson-like" seriousness. 

Harris can score points with this tactic, together with her equally humorous running mate Tim Walz, according to humor researcher Eva Ullmann. "The US election campaign is not just about humor. The Harris-Walz duo have a clear political line, they can assert themselves and have a high status. They are not cabaret artists, they don't want to compete as such, but their humor has something very heartfelt and down-to-earth, something inviting, and that is very disarming," Ullman says.

According to Ullmann, the big advantage the two have over Trump in terms of humor is that "they are nowhere near as disrespectful. But this is precisely what now seems to be backfiring on Trump and his entourage, because society is saying: 'Nah, we're not up for this anymore. We're fed up with this eternal belittling, shaming and hating, we don't want this form of humor anymore either'."

Humor does not equal loss of power

Author of the book "Humor ist Chefsache," (which roughly translates to "Humour is an executive matter") Ullmann is convinced that the culture of humor and laughter is changing.

"For a very long time, humor in positions of power was associated with an aggressive form of humor, such as that practiced by Trump," she explains. "That is not enough to manage employees well. This discovery that there is also humor that can make others look good, that doesn't embarrass others, is actually a new development in the boardroom. The biggest fear of humor among people in positions of power is that they won't be taken seriously, they are afraid of making a fool of themselves, of turning into a clown."

The fear of laughter is archaic

This fear is deeply rooted in human history. Behavioral scientists are convinced that laughter was present at the beginning of human communication — prehistoric humans laughed before they could speak.

Psychologist and laughter researcher Michael Titze explains how a funny laugh hundreds of thousands of years ago could also turn into a threat: "Laughter created a feeling of closeness, solidarity and well-being within the reference group. But as soon as two clans met, for example because they were fighting over a hunting ground, the laughter of the others could also mean 'we have been defeated, they dominate and we are being laughed at.' This being laughed at is something quite archaic — and every politician is afraid of it."

To laugh or not to laugh?

Even in ancient times, laughter was politicized. The Greek philosopher Plato, for example, was of the opinion that laughter was a threat to the state; he thought those who indulged in laughter were no longer able to think rationally and would lose power. His pupil Aristotle, on the other hand, loved to laugh and believed that laughter distinguished humans from animals.

Perhaps world history would have been different if Aristotle had been followed.

Laughter in different regions of the world

An age-old fear of losing power through merriment — experts call this fear of being laughed at "gelotophobia" — still lingers in many people's minds, though this varies greatly across the world.

A multinational study in 73 countries commissioned by the University of Zürich in 2009 found that in certain cultures, such as in the Middle East or Asia, where great importance is attached to honor and saving face, laughter can be perceived very differently.

"Being ridiculed or laughed at can lead to unbelievable reactions, it can even trigger wars," says psychologist and laughter researcher Michael Titze. "That's why laughter as such is very ambiguous."

Humor is genetic

Back to Kamala Harris: According to Titze, she can simply laugh away the negative aspects of other people's laughter: "She is criticized and then starts laughing heartily in a way that weakens her opponents," he says. 

Kamala Harris' cheerful manner is also a form of communication. "Along the lines of: 'Look how I do it, and if you want, come to me and we'll do the rest together'," he adds.

When someone - like Harris - laughs out loud, the brain releases neurotransmitters that make you feel good. It's not for nothing that the saying goes: "Laughter is the best medicine." Cheerful people are attractive.

Titze makes it clear, however, that laughter is genetic: "You can't learn humor, you can't play it or force it, because then it seems cramped. The individual potential to develop humor is innate."

This article was originally written in German.