Can Animals Laugh and Vocalize Like Humans? Short Answer is Yes

People who laugh together are more likely to link and bond. And, while the causes of laughter vary greatly between individuals and communities, the sound of a laugh is generally familiar to people from various cultures.

What about creatures that aren't human? Do they "cry," and do the reasons for their laughter resemble human laughter triggers? In humans, laughter can convey a variety of emotions, ranging from pleasure to disgust. People chuckle when they hear a joke or see something they find amusing, but it's unclear if animals have a sense of humor in the same way as humans do.

On the other hand, many species make noises peculiar to the fun social contact during play; researchers believe that these vocalizations are a near analog to human laughter. Scientists looked at play vocalization recently to see how popular it was in animals. The researchers discovered 65 animals that "laughed" while playing, most of which were mammals, but a few birds also showed humorous laughter. According to a recent review, this new research may aid scientists in tracing the ancestral history of human laughter.

Related Article: Humans 10x Better Than Chimps and Macaques When It Comes to Temperature Control

Laugh Like Vocalization

Animals can vocalize, or laugh, during play to prevent experiences from worsening and being offensive or dangerous, according to the researchers, who published their findings in the journal Bioacoustics on April 19. Sasha Winkler, a doctoral candidate in biological anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that, unlike war, play is normally repetitive and occurs independently of other social interactions such as dating or hunting for food.

"People who research primates say, 'You know it when you see it,'" Winkler said that when it comes to recognizing play. She clarified that primates, our closest kin, have a "play smile" that resembles human faces when they are playing.

Winkler had found that rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) panted softly while playing while she initially interacted with them. She claims that several other primates vocalize while playing. Winkler and study co-author Greg Bryant, a professor and vice-chair in UCLA's Department of Communication, wondered if animal laughter was more common than previously thought. They looked at scores of previous studies "looking for any mentions in any animal of vocal signaling during play," such as the macaques' panting, Winkler said.

According to the review, the scientists found hundreds of examples of vocal play signals "throughout the mammal literature, especially among primates, rodents, social carnivores, and (to a lesser extent) marine mammals."

Laughing While Playing

The purr of a vervet monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops), the ultrasonic trill of a rat (Rattus norvegicus), the whistle and squawk of a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), and the peeping of a squirrel monkey were among the noises heard only throughout the play (Saimiri sciureus). According to the report, most primate animals, including chimps, gorillas, monkeys, and baboons, displayed playful laughing, ranging from panting chuckles, lip-smacking, and grunts to cackles, trills, and squeals.

According to the review, reports of playful humor were noticeably absent in research describing fish, amphibians, and reptiles, perhaps because there is some debate over whether or not play occurs in such animal classes.

Origins of Laughter

Human laughter is believed to have arisen during play, a theory reinforced by multiple primate primates' play-related panting laughter. Human laughter may have originated from a related panting tone that "became ritualized into the vocalized 'ha ha ha' that we use today," according to Winkler. According to the researchers, people continue to laugh while playing. However, we still inject humor into vocabulary and non-play activities, using laughter in various ways to express a spectrum of feelings, both positive and negative.

Also Read: Accidentally Discovered and Rare Fossilized Algae Closes Evolutionary Gaps

For more biological news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!