Human babies and great apes have similar laughing patterns, according to a new study. As such, when babies are young and laugh, they are more like apes than humans are when it comes to responding to funny or silly situations, showing that humans may not be as far removed from great apes as it appears.

Researchers from the University of Portsmouth in England found that as babies’ personalities develop and they learn to laugh, they laugh both when they inhale and exhale, according to CNN. This is precisely how great apes laugh, regardless of age.

The study, which was published in the journal, Biology Letters found that when older kids and adults laugh, they only do so when they exhale. As such, somewhere along the line, evolution made a change in the way that humans express that something is comical. However, until babies learn how to control their breath, they continue to laugh both when they breathe in and out, highlighting similarities humans and apes still share.

RELATED: 10 Ways To Get Baby To Laugh

It is not surprising that apes and humans continue to share similarities when it comes to behaviors. After all, according to New Scientist, it has only been 100,000 years since humans have evolved into what the “modern human” is known as today. Because of this, according to DifferenceBetween.net, there are similarities between the muscular systems and internal organs. And now, it appears the way apes and humans laugh as well.

To determine if babies laugh like apes, researchers recorded laughs from babies ages three months to 18 months of age, according to the study. The audio files were then played for study participants and they were asked to determine how much of a laugh was a result of inhaling and how much from exhaling.

According to Verified News Explorer Network, the recordings were listened to by two separate groups of 100 participants each. And it was clear to participants that infants both inhaled and exhales while laughing. Further still, they could determine from the control audio files of adults laughing, that those older than babies were exhaling only when laughing.

To ensure that what was being reported was accurate, according to CNN, experts were hired to analyze the laughs as well. And what they found was that participants were spot on with their answers.

To see if there was a preference as to which was a more “pleasant” or “contagious” sounding laugh, researchers asked participants to rate the laughs they heard. And across the board, those that were exhaling were found to be the favorites, per the publication.

Given these findings, researchers hope to do further studies to see not only what other non-verbal communications in babies are similar to that of apes but also if those communications change over time as laughter appears to. And if more is found, it goes to show that while evolution works to change things, at the end of the day it is not so much so that similarities between species cannot still be found.

Source: CNN, Verified News Explorer Network, Biology Letters, New Scientist, DifferenceBetween.net


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