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The ontogeny of human laughter
Mariska E Kret1,2, Dianne Venneker1,2, Bronwen Evans3
1Cognitive Psychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden 2333 AK, The Netherlands.
Biology Letters
|August 31, 2021
Summary
Human infant laughter evolves from ape-like sounds to adult human vocalizations. Laughter produced during exhalation is perceived more positively, suggesting developmental and social influences on vocal communication.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Acoustic Phonetics
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Human adult laughter predominantly occurs during exhalation.
- Ape laughter differs, occurring during both exhalation and inhalation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental trajectory of human infant laughter.
- To determine if infant laughter transitions from ape-like to adult-like patterns.
- To assess the perceived positivity of laughter based on exhalation/inhalation patterns.
Main Methods:
- Novice and expert listeners evaluated 44 instances of human infant laughter.
- Judgments focused on inhalation/exhalation phases and perceived pleasantness/contagiousness.
- Two pre-registered replication studies confirmed initial findings.
Main Results:
- Infant laughter showed a developmental shift towards adult exhalation patterns.
- Laughter produced more on exhalation was perceived as more pleasant.
- These findings were consistent across replication studies.
Conclusions:
- Human infant laughter transforms ontogenetically, resembling adult laughter.
- Social learning and vocal tract development likely drive this transformation.
- Exhalation-dominant laughter is perceived more positively, influencing social perception.
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