activity, too. We don’t guffaw at The Thick of It because it’s funny, but because we bond with the characters. Laughter is hierarchical as well, hence the

sycophantic sniggers when the boss cracks a joke. That’s especially true if the boss is male because men are natural laughter magnets. (“A woman comedian has a hard life,” says Provine.) And sex comes into it as well as gender, because women laugh to show men that they’re interested.

Once you realise that laughter is the universal

language, this all starts to make sense. True, we’re more likely to laugh in playful situations, including using word play, but that goes back to chimpanzees, who “hee-hee-hee” while they’re engaged in rough behaviour. We’ve simply learned to laugh at a wider range of things. If there’s a downside to laughter,

it’s that it can get you into trouble long after you’ve left school. But don’t hold back. Laughter is the ultimate feel-good activity, so much so that it may

even stop pain, says Provine. It really is the best medicine —but as an RD reader, you already know that.

How to

...get your head round e-books

HERE’S A GIZMO TO HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF THAT RYANAIR BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE. An

e-book reader can store 100 volumes in one ten-inch case, uses minimal power and makes text as large as you like. True, it costs upwards of £200 so you won’t want to leave it on a deckchair, and the print isn’t as clear as in a book. And it’s yet another piece of kit to add to your bag, along with an iPod, phone and digital camera. “But you’ll have those in your bag anyway,” argues

How to

...chop veg like a pro

ONIONS ARE NO PROBLEM: TRIM THE ROOT AND TIP, HALVE IT AND MAKE INCISIONS LENGTHWAYS, THEN CUT IT ACROSS—BINGO!

But if you want to slice through carrots, peppers, aubergines and the rest of summer’s bounty without that time-consuming sawing motion, here’s what to do. Try it on a piece of celery— it’s the easiest veg to cut.

• Cut the veg into

strips, then place the index and ring fingers of your left (or non-dominant) hand either side. Rest your middle finger on top, keeping it bent and out of the way of the knife.

• Take a sharp veg

>

knife like the Lion Sabatier (recommended by Delia Smith) in your other hand and chop as fast as you can, using your thumb to push the veg through.

sTeVe BLooM IMAGes/ALAMY

courTesY oF dIVerTIMenTI.co.uK Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24