AI Generated Image
Tickled Apes Reveal the Rhythmic Roots of Laughter
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- Laughter is a universal instinct shared by humans and great apes, including chimps, gorillas, and bonobos, who all laugh with regular, repeating rhythms similar to humans.
- A new study reveals that while nonhuman apes have largely fixed laughter patterns, humans exhibit more flexible and variable laughter, adjusting the tempo based on social context.
- Researchers suggest that humans are "masters of laughter," capable of a wide range of laughs from polite chuckles to boisterous guffaws, and even using laughter to convey nuanced social messages.
- The findings provide insight into the evolution of laughter, highlighting how it has become faster and more adaptable in humans compared to other great apes.
