Great Ape Laughter Reveals How Human Vocal Control Evolved
Researchers found laughter in great apes followed regular timing, while humans showed the most context-dependent tempo changes and variability.
- A study published in Communications Biology reveals that human and great ape laughter share a 15-million-year-old rhythmic foundation, with researchers finding this shared timing persists across all living great ape lineages.
- Adriano R. Lameira of the University of Warwick and Marina Davila-Ross of the University of Portsmouth analyzed 140 laughter sequences across species, tracing vocal control capacities back to a common ancestor around 15 million years ago.
- Unlike non-human primates, humans modulate laughter tempo based on social context, producing faster laughter during tickling than during play, De Gregorio noted. This distinction reveals greater rhythmic flexibility in humans.
- These findings suggest human speech evolved gradually, building upon vocal capacities developed in ancient primate relatives. De Gregorio explained that studying laughter reveals the social foundations necessary for complex language.
- Future research may expand upon these findings, as the study relied on 17 individuals; Kristin Sabbi, a primatologist at Harvard University, noted that investigating how laughter flexibility changes over an ape's lifetime remains an interesting next step.
12 Articles
12 Articles
U.K. study finds humans and great apes have been giggling alike for 15 million years
The next time you crack up with friends, you may be hearing something far older than you realize. Researchers involved in a new U.K. study say human laughter still resembles the giggling of other great apes, with that similarity dating back to a shared ancestor from about 15 million years ago. What happened? As ABC News reported, the researchers returned to archival recordings from 13 captive great apes: gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bo…
Humans and great apes show similar rhythmic pattern in laughter
Researchers analyzed recordings of 13 primates and four children. The differences are in speed and flexibility — and evolved 15 million years ago.
New Research Suggests Human Laughter May Hold a 15-Million-Year Old Secret
Human laughter may hold a deeper connection to our primate ancestors than previously realized, preserving a 15-million-year-old evolutionary legacy. New research from the University of Warwick suggests the rhythm of laughter has remained largely unchanged across millions of years, offering surprising new insights into the origins of human speech. Great apes are humanity’s closest living relatives, and species including chimpanzees, bonobos, gori…
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