Humans and great apes have been giggling in similar ways since branching off the evolutionary tree, a new study suggests. Researchers tickled 13 captive apes and recorded the results, comparing them with the giggles of four young children.
Laughter Evolution
The study found that the chuckles of humans and great apes follow similar rhythms, with regular timing between their laughs. This uniting thread likely reflects their ties to a common ancestor, researchers said.
Laughter communicates a playful, happy feeling without using words. Many animals can laugh too, but the giggles don’t follow human patterns as closely. Scientists trying to uncover how laughter evolved have picked apart animals’ facial expressions, but less work has been done on how laughs sound.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
