Human laughter is common, but it's a somewhat mysterious part of our evolution. It's clear to evolutionary scholars that we laugh as a part of play, signaling our cooperation or friendliness. But how did laughter evolve? ...
Plants & Animals
May 7, 2021
1
5918
We know the benefits of laughter on health. But why do we laugh? What are the evolutionary origins of laughter and humour? Steven Légaré has asked these questions and has made them the subject of his master's thesis, which ...
Social Sciences
Mar 27, 2013
1
1
Laughter plays a crucial role in every culture across the world. But it's not clear why laughter exists. While it is evidently an inherently social phenomenon – people are up to 30 times more likely to laugh in a group ...
Evolution
Apr 14, 2016
0
107
(PhysOrg.com) -- Not surprisingly, Robert Lynch begins his research paper "It's Funny Because We Think It's True: Laughter is Augmented by Implicit Preferences" with a joke. Not his joke, but one taken from a toast Homer ...
Social Sciences
Oct 14, 2009
3
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Just like humans, chimpanzees mimic the laughter of their playmates even if they don't find the situation as 'funny'.
Plants & Animals
Mar 2, 2011
2
0
Like human infants, young apes are known to hoot and holler when you tickle them. But is it fair to say that those playful calls are really laughter? The answer to that question is yes, say researchers reporting online on ...
Evolution
Jun 4, 2009
1
0
A woman in labor is having a terrible time and suddenly shouts out: "Shouldn't! Wouldn't! Couldn't! Didn't! Can't!"
Social Sciences
Sep 23, 2022
0
32
A team of researchers from Leiden University, University College London and the University of Amsterdam, has found that human infants laugh in ways that are more like chimpanzees than adult humans. In their paper published ...
Laughter can play key roles in group communication and group dynamics - even when there's nothing funny going on. That's according to new research from North Carolina State University that examined the role of laughter in ...
Social Sciences
Aug 24, 2010
0
0
Acoustic analysis of the 'giggle' sound made by spotted hyenas has revealed that the animals' laughter encodes information about age, dominance and identity. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Ecology recorded ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 29, 2010
0
0
Laughing is a reaction to certain stimuli, fundamentally stress, which serves as an emotional balancing mechanism. Traditionally, it is considered a visual expression of happiness, or an inward feeling of joy. It may ensue from hearing a joke, being tickled, or other stimuli. It is in most cases a very pleasant sensation.
Laughter is found among various animals, as well as in humans, although it is more rare in most mammals and animals overall. Among the human species, it is a part of human behavior regulated by the brain, helping humans clarify their intentions in social interaction and providing an emotional context to conversations. Laughter is used as a signal for being part of a group—it signals acceptance and positive interactions with others. Laughter is sometimes seen as contagious, and the laughter of one person can itself provoke laughter from others as a positive feedback. This may account in part for the popularity of laugh tracks in situation comedy television shows. Laughter is anatomically caused by the epiglottis constricting the larynx. The study of humor and laughter, and its psychological and physiological effects on the human body, is called gelotology.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
