Name: Why we laugh
Uploaded: 2015-04-30T15:00:30Z
Duration: 16 min 55 s
Description: Did you know that you're 30 times more likely to laugh if you're with somebody else than if you're alone? Cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott shares this and other surprising facts about laughter in this fast-paced, action-packed and, yes, hilarious dash through the science of cracking up.

The evolution of human speech: The role of enhanced breathing control

'Speech-smile,' 'speech-laugh,' 'laughter' and their sequencing in dialogic interaction


Aping expressions? Chimpanzees produce distinct laugh types when responding to laughter of others

Anticipation of play elicits high-frequency ultrasonic vocalizations in young rats

Neural pathways underlying vocal control

The evolution and functions of laughter and humor: A synthetic approach

Individual differences in laughter perception reveal roles for mentalizing and sensorimotor systems in the evaluation of emotional authenticity

Development and neurophysiology of mentalizing

Physiological down-regulation and positive emotion in marital interaction

The social life of laughter

Laughter in conversation: Features of occurrence and acoustic structure

Did you know that you're 30 times more likely to laugh if you're with somebody else than if you're alone? Cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott shares this and other surprising facts about laughter in this fast-paced, action-packed and, yes, hilarious dash through the science of cracking up.

Sophie Scott: Why we laugh

Why we laugh

Laughter, a primitive sound more akin to animal calls than speech, signals understanding, agreement, and social bonding.

Humans are not the only animals that laugh; laughter's roots in play and social interaction span across mammals, including rats.

Real laughter differs neurobiologically from posed laughter, revealing deep evolutionary layers of human vocalization and emotion.