As part of an ongoing series of blog articles, the role of laughter appears once again in an interesting article in the Conversation. It reviews the research on laughter and relationships. It explores why a man making them laugh is more important to women and how the role of humor changes over the course of a relationship. it reminds me of discussion in a recent training session (hello Cornwall!) where we discussed the research on status, relationships and laughter. Someone asked whether this meant that women wanted to be dominated by men. I said no. That the vast majority of decisions taken in relationships are decided by the woman. This does not suggest a submissive role. However, there may be a critical relationships between power and security for women that differs for men, hence humors role shifts over time. To read the fascinating review click here.