My three young daughters like to watch pets doing silly things. Almost daily, they ask to see animal video clips on my phone and are quickly entertained. But once my 7-year-old lets out a belly laugh, ...

Long before modern brain imaging technologies illuminated the neurophysiological mechanisms that make laughter contagious, William James (1842-1910) observed, "We don't laugh because we're happy, ...

Human laughter is such an intrinsic part of our lives that we don’t tend to give it much thought. But we are one of only a handful of animals that do it, along with apes, dogs, and, quite bizarrely, ...

Neuroscientist Sophie Scott studies laughter, specifically its effect on our body and brain. She discusses laughter's contagious nature, as well as its role in maintaining social bonds. Sophie Scott ...

Laughter — closely tied to language and a sense of humor — has long been thought to be uniquely human. But in a new study out of Indiana University, researchers have discovered that bonobos, the ...

My three young daughters like to watch pets doing silly things. Almost daily, they ask to see animal video clips on my phone and are quickly entertained. But once my 7-year-old lets out a belly laugh, ...