The acoustic features of human laughter

Remarkably little is known about the acoustic features of laughter. Here, acoustic outcomes are reported for 1024 naturally produced laugh bouts recorded from 97 young adults as they watched funny video clips. Analyses focused on temporal features, production modes, source- and filter-related effect...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Vol. 110; no. 3 Pt 1; p. 1581
Main Authors Bachorowski, J A, Smoski, M J, Owren, M J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.09.2001
Subjects
Acoustics
Female
Humans
Individuality
Laughter - physiology
Male
Mouth - physiology
Reaction Time
Sex Characteristics
Voice - physiology
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:Remarkably little is known about the acoustic features of laughter. Here, acoustic outcomes are reported for 1024 naturally produced laugh bouts recorded from 97 young adults as they watched funny video clips. Analyses focused on temporal features, production modes, source- and filter-related effects, and indexical cues to laugher sex and individual identity. Although a number of researchers have previously emphasized stereotypy in laughter, its acoustics were found now to be variable and complex. Among the variety of findings reported, evident diversity in production modes, remarkable variability in fundamental frequency characteristics, and consistent lack of articulation effects in supralaryngeal filtering are of particular interest. In addition, formant-related filtering effects were found to be disproportionately important as acoustic correlates of laugher sex and individual identity. These outcomes are examined in light of existing data concerning laugh acoustics, as well as a number of hypotheses and conjectures previously advanced about this species-typical vocal signal.
ISSN:0001-4966
DOI:10.1121/1.1391244