A study published in Nature today reveals that humans and great apes produce giggles with the same rhythmic structure when tickled. Researchers found that the laughter of chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans follows patterns nearly identical to those of human children.
The findings suggest that the vocal control mechanisms for laughter evolved before the human lineage split from other great apes. This shared trait offers a window into the emotional lives of our closest relatives.
Scientists analyzed hundreds of tickle-induced laughs from both humans and apes, measuring their acoustic properties. The rhythms matched so closely that human listeners often could not distinguish between the two.
The work challenges the notion that laughter is uniquely human. It underscores how deeply embedded playfulness is in our evolutionary past.
Some researchers note that the study focused on tickling, a specific trigger, leaving open questions about laughter in other social contexts.