Contagious Laughter as an Innate Acoustic Stimulus That Provokes Positive Emotions and Affects – Possible Relationships of This Laughter with Happiness

Abstract

This chapter delves into the topic of contagious laughter, as a little-studied vocalization (with the exception of the pioneering research by Provine), which contributes to the creation, maintenance, and strengthening of social ties. The text offers empirical evidence and arguments that support the thesis that contagious laughter and the laughter provoked by it involve a set of distinctive acoustic and perceptual characteristics and vocal, emotional, and affective effects of possible innate nature. The development of the chapter is also important for offering indirect support to the hypothesis or theories, such as (a) a supposed cerebral mechanism of perception/production of contagious laughter, (b) emotional contagion through vocalizations, and (c) innate behavioral sequences, proposed by the ethological perspective. Based on the reported evidence that supports the formulated thesis, the corresponding theoretical relationships and implications are established. At the end of the chapter, the possible relationships between contagious laughter and happiness are established, as phenomena of phylogenetically ancient origin and related to innate tendencies of positive valence.