人類不只在高興時笑,，還會在社交場合發(fā)出附和他人的笑聲,。英國一項最新研究顯示，黑猩猩也有這個本領(lǐng),，它們能夠模擬同伴的笑聲并將此作為促進社交關(guān)系的手段,。
英國樸次茅斯大學(xué)等機構(gòu)研究人員在新一期美國心理學(xué)會主辦的學(xué)術(shù)刊物《情感》上報告說，他們對非洲贊比亞一個野生動物保護中心數(shù)十只黑猩猩展開的研究顯示,，黑猩猩不僅在高興時發(fā)出自然的笑聲,，在同伴發(fā)笑時還會主動模仿同伴的笑聲。與人類談話中起輔助作用的笑聲一樣,，這種模仿同伴的笑聲與自然的笑聲相比較為短暫,。
研究人員收集了約500個黑猩猩之間玩耍的視頻片段，結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn),，如果在玩耍時有黑猩猩主動模仿同伴的笑聲，那么玩耍持續(xù)的時間明顯更長,。此外,，這些黑猩猩各自所屬的群組還可分為兩大類,，有的組已經(jīng)在一起10多年,，有的組最近剛成立，結(jié)果在那些新成立的組中,，黑猩猩明顯有更多模仿同伴笑聲的舉動。
領(lǐng)導(dǎo)研究的瑪麗娜·達維拉－羅斯博士說,，上述事實說明,，黑猩猩已經(jīng)掌握了用笑聲來促進社交關(guān)系的本領(lǐng),。在進化史上,，人類和黑猩猩的共同祖先首先發(fā)展出自然發(fā)笑的能力,，現(xiàn)在人類可以將笑聲用于各種社交場合,，而黑猩猩也具備這個本領(lǐng),，對它們的觀察有助于探索這種現(xiàn)象的出現(xiàn)過程，以及與此相關(guān)的語言起源等問題,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
Emotion, Feb 28, 2011
Aping expressions? Chimpanzees produce distinct laugh types when responding to laughter of others
Davila-Ross, Marina; Allcock, Bethan; Thomas, Chris; Bard, Kim A.
Abstract
Humans have the ability to replicate the emotional expressions of others even when they undergo different emotions. Such distinct responses of expressions, especially positive expressions, play a central role in everyday social communication of humans and may give the responding individuals important advantages in cooperation and communication. The present work examined laughter in chimpanzees to test whether nonhuman primates also use their expressions in such distinct ways. The approach was first to examine the form and occurrence of laugh replications (laughter after the laughter of others) and spontaneous laughter of chimpanzees during social play and then to test whether their laugh replications represented laugh-elicited laugh responses (laughter triggered by the laughter of others) by using a quantitative method designed to measure responses in natural social settings. The results of this study indicated that chimpanzees produce laugh-elicited laughter that is distinct in form and occurrence from their spontaneous laughter. These findings provide the first empirical evidence that nonhuman primates have the ability to replicate the expressions of others by producing expressions that differ in their underlying emotions and social implications. The data further showed that the laugh-elicited laugh responses of the subjects were closely linked to play maintenance, suggesting that chimpanzees might gain important cooperative and communicative advantages by responding with laughter to the laughter of their social partners. Notably, some chimpanzee groups of this study responded more with laughter than others, an outcome that provides empirical support of a socialization of expressions in great apes similar to that of humans
