Laughter is a reaction that transmits well-being, relaxation and pleasure, although it can also be associated with many other emotions, some of them negative.
Normally, laughter is considered as an audible manifestation of a number of positive emotional states, such as enjoyment, joy, relief, surprise, and well-being. In any case, there are types of laughter that can show acts completely contrary to those mentioned, such as those emitted by courtesy, nervousness or embarrassment. Human behaviors follow a number of common patterns, but the meaning of the acts depends entirely on the individual baggage and the environment in which they are practiced.
Age, gender, education, language and culture are conditioning factors that explain, to some extent, the meaning and use of laughter at a particular time. Based on all these interesting premises, today we tell you everything about the 8 types of laughter. Don’t miss it.
- We recommend you read: “50 phrases of Happiness to live fully and with joy”
What is laughter and how is it classified?
At the neurological level, it has been shown that the act of laughing is related to the activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, an essential part of the mammalian brain. Stimulation of this area results in the release of endorphins, opioid peptides that normally inhibit the transmission of painful stimuli and promote the production of euphoria in the immediacy of the moment. In addition, since there is no “neural center of laughter”, it is believed that other structures, such as the hippocampus and the amygdala (limbic system), also play essential roles in its development.
Interestingly, ideas and therapies based on the pharmacological properties of laughter have been cemented for several years. For example, it is stipulated that this act releases endorphins and, in turn, these act as dilators of the circulatory system, thus reporting cardioprotective effects. The theory that the release of endorphins can help alleviate pain in patients with chronic discomfort is also supported, which is why laughter therapy is on the rise today.
Beyond all these interesting facts, it should be noted that the world of laughter can be classified, at least to some extent. In the following lines, we show you the 8 types of laughter,based on the context, intensity, aerial pattern for its formation, the sequence of chained tones and much more tag. Do not miss it.
1. Deep laugh (Belly laugh)
Deep laughter is the most honest and difficult to experience, as it takes being exposed to something truly hilarious to pull off. Its name in English “belly laugh” refers to the diaphragmatic contractions that take place so that it can be produced, generally in the form of laughter and very audible laughter.
The Expressive Therapy of Deep Laughter (TERP) bases its therapeutic mechanisms on this type of act, since it is held that they have an analgesic capacity, due to the release of endorphins previously described. In any case, laughter therapy is still surrounded by a halo of controversy: many of the studies that try to attribute quantifiable effects to this behavior fail in their methodology or, failing that, do not take into account that many negative emotions also have a certain effect temporary analgesic.
2. Nervous laughter
One of the clear examples that not all laughter is associated with positive connotations. Nervous laughter is produced by the expression of embarrassment, alarm, discomfort or confusion, emotions that have nothing to do with happiness and well-being. Interestingly, these acts come “from the throat” and not from the diaphragm, so they are not considered real laughter. It isa subconscious attempt to regain calm in a stressful situation , although it usually has the opposite effect.
3. Courtesy laughter
Polite laughter is considered analogous to nervous laughter, since it is carried out consciously, in order to expedite a specific situation tag. Real laughter (belly laugh) engages more muscular structures, has a more complex neural pathway, and is a completely involuntary action. On the other hand, polite laughter is an ephemeral gesture made with minimal effort, whose objective can be to achieve something (please) or limit contact as much as possible (I laugh at everything he says, let’s see if he goes away).
4. Contagious laughter
Contagious laughter arises from the same premises as yawning, for example. The chain reaction between individuals of the same species is attributed to mirror neurons, a cell group that is activated when a congener performs an action, in order to repeat it.
It is stipulated that the basis of this imitation is sociality, since the repetition of gestures involuntarily gives us a sense of unity and identity as a “whole” among peers. The mechanisms of mirror neurons could explain why we laugh without knowing why when another person does.
5. Silent laugh
As its name suggests, it is that laugh that emits a partially or totally imperceptible sound tag. In any case, the message is clear on the part of the receiver of the gesture, since the silent laugh is accompanied by a facial smile, which indicates well-being, pleasure or complacency.
6. Snort
This type of laughter is usually associated with embarrassing situations, but the reality is that up to a third of the population laughs this way. The snort differs from the belly laugh in the respiratory pattern: while in the second case the exhalation of air occurs through the mouth, in the snort it comes out through the nose, generating an “air exchange turbulence”.
When air moves in or out quickly, the waves vibrate the surrounding tissues, causing the snort. In addition, this type of laughter is the one that usually takes place when the person is trying to hold back a laugh.
7. Canned laughter
It may sound anecdotal, but canned laughter is an extremely common sound resource on television, film and radio. Perhaps due to the mechanisms mentioned above, a pre-recorded laugh is often used (especially in comedies) to indicate to viewers when they should laugh at a specific moment of the show.
In addition to relying on contagion mechanisms, the purpose of canned laughter is to simulate a live situation, despite the fact that there is no public presenttag. In any case, this resource is increasingly in disuse, due to its abuse in the past: without going any further, it is estimated that in the Big Bang sitcom there is a canned laugh every 8 and a half seconds, or whatever it is. Same, every 1.47 sentences. Undoubtedly, the exploitation of this resource has led to its decline and bad reputation today.
8. Malicious laugh
Again, another of the types of laughter that depend on the context, not the aerial mechanism of production. In this case, the act is not associated with well-being as a universal feeling, but with entertainment at the expense of the suffering of others. It is a very common device in classic works of fiction, wherethe villains laugh to show their malicious intentions .
Summary
As you may have noticed, the world of laughter is extremely diverse in the human environment, as there are almost as many as possible social situations and emotions. Both as a stylistic resource and as a sign of intentionality, laughter accompanies us at all times of our lives, from when we are babies to senescence.
The types of laughter can be classified according to the phonatory mechanism, the intention of the issuer, the stylistic purpose, the pattern of sound emission, the social situation in which it occurs, the emotional reason and many other things. If there is something we want to highlight in these final lines, it is thatHuman behavior goes far beyond its physiological limits .
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.