Abstract
AbstractHuman laughter is a complex behavior expressed not only in the context of play as it is in animals, but also in various emotional states. This suggests that throughout evolution human laughter has adopted more complex communicative functions to reflect the increased complexity of human social interaction. This chapter outlines recent findings on perception, acoustic cues, and neural correlates of laughter sounds. Laughter sounds can be classified according to the emotional categories and according to different emotional dimensions, such as arousal, valence and dominance. Moreover, the acoustical correlates of laughter expressing different emotions can be discriminated on the basis of a small parameter set. Finally, the evolutionary diversification of ecological functions of laughter is associated with distinct cerebral responses underlying laughter perception. These findings indicate that human laughter is a multifaceted behavior serving distinct social functions.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
