The laugh of a baby is really a monkey affair

Wednesday, November 7, 2018 (HealthDay News) – Babies laugh like monkeys, researchers say.

An analysis of the laughter recorded in 44 infants aged 3 to 18 months revealed that the youngest babies laughed while inhaling and exhaling, as did non-human primates such as chimpanzees.

Older babies laughed mainly at the expiration, like older children and adults.

"Adult humans sometimes laugh while inhaling, but their proportion is markedly different from that of ruminants and laughter chimpanzees.Our results suggest up to here that there is a gradual change rather than suddenly, "said lead researcher Disa Sauter in a statement. Press release from the Canadian Audio Association.

This change does not appear to be related to particular developmental stages.

The vocal control developed as people learn to speak is perhaps the reason why humans are the only primates who laugh only when they expire, said Sauter. She is a psychologist and associate professor at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Researchers are currently studying whether there is a link between the amount of laughter produced during inspiration and the expiration and the reasons why people laugh, which also change with age . In infants, laughter is linked to physical play, like tickling. In the elderly, laughter is triggered by physical play as well as social interaction.

"Beyond that, I would like to know if our findings apply to other vocalizations than laughter," Sauter said.

This research could lead to a better understanding of vocal production in children with developmental disabilities.

"If we know what developing babies look like, it might be interesting to study at-risk infants to determine if there are very early signs of atypical development in their non-verbal vocalizations of emotions," Sauter explained. .

The study is to be presented Wednesday at a meeting of the Canadian Acoustic Association in Victoria, British Columbia. Research presented at meetings is generally considered preliminary until it is published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

Helpguide. org has more about laughter.