Laughter vs. Humour — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 27, 2024
Laughter is the physical expression of amusement, typically involving audible and visible gestures, while humour is the quality that provokes laughter or amusement.
Difference Between Laughter and Humour
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Laughter is a physiological response that involves the contraction of facial muscles and the production of sound, reflecting joy, amusement, or nervousness. Humour, on the other hand, refers to the ability to recognize or express what is funny, amusing, or ludicrous, which can induce laughter.
Laughter serves as a universal communication tool across different cultures, often signaling happiness or a shared understanding in social contexts. Whereas humour varies widely across cultural and linguistic boundaries, as what is considered humorous can depend on language, tradition, and individual taste.
In physiological terms, laughter activates multiple regions of the brain, including areas responsible for motor functions, emotion, and cognitive processing. Humour often engages cognitive abilities more directly, requiring interpretation and intellectual engagement to appreciate the nuances of a joke or a comedic situation.
Laughter is typically an involuntary action that can be stimulated by external factors such as tickling or humorous situations. Conversely, humour might involve a deliberate creation or identification of incongruities in language, expectation, and societal norms.
Socially, laughter is used to strengthen bonds, reduce stress, and diffuse conflict within groups. Whereas humour can serve as a social barometer, measuring cultural attitudes, social norms, and political climates, often used strategically in conversations and media to challenge ideas or critique societal issues.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Physical response to stimuli, characterized by sound and facial movement.
Quality or ability to provoke laughter, often through recognition of the amusing or ironic.
Function
Serves to express joy, amusement, or nervousness, often in social contexts.
Engages cognitive functions to appreciate wit, irony, or absurdity.
Dependence
Generally a spontaneous and uncontrollable physical act.
Relies on intellectual engagement and cultural context to be effective.
Social Role
Reinforces social bonds and alleviates stress through shared experiences.
Acts as a tool for social commentary, critique, or bonding over shared understandings.
Variability
Universally understood and similar across different cultures.
Highly subjective and varies significantly across different societies and cultures.
Compare with Definitions
Laughter
A light, often nervous, laughter.
The children's playful antics caused a giggle among the parents.
Humour
The quality of being amusing or comical.
His speech was filled with good humour.
Laughter
An audible expression of amusement.
Her joke was met with hearty laughter.
Humour
Intelligent humour that is quick and clever.
Her wit always lightened the mood at meetings.
Laughter
A quiet or restrained laughter.
He gave a chuckle after hearing the witty remark.
Humour
Humour that uses irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize.
The play was a biting satire of political corruption.
Laughter
A deep, hearty laughter.
The comedian's story earned a belly laugh from the audience.
Humour
A short, amusing story about a real incident.
He entertained the guests with anecdotes from his travels.
Laughter
A suppressed or covert laughter.
They tried to snicker quietly during the lecture.
Humour
A humorous imitation of a particular style.
The film was a parody of horror movie clichés.
Laughter
Laughter is a physical reaction consisting usually of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system. It is a response to certain external or internal stimuli.
Humour
Humour (Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids in the human body, known as humours (Latin: humor, "body fluid"), controlled human health and emotion.
Laughter
The action or sound of laughing
He roared with laughter
Humour
The quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech
His tales are full of humour
Laughter
The act of laughing.
Humour
A mood or state of mind
Her good humour vanished
The clash hadn't improved his humour
Laughter
The sound produced by laughing.
Humour
Each of the four chief fluids of the body (blood, phlegm, yellow bile (choler), and black bile (melancholy)) that were thought to determine a person's physical and mental qualities by the relative proportions in which they were present.
Laughter
(Archaic) A cause or subject for laughter.
Humour
Comply with the wishes of (someone) in order to keep them content, however unreasonable such wishes might be
She was always humouring him to prevent trouble
Laughter
The sound of laughing, produced by air so expelled; any similar sound.
Their loud laughter betrayed their presence.
Humour
Variant of humor.
Laughter
A movement (usually involuntary) of the muscles of the laughing face, particularly of the lips, and of the whole body, with a peculiar expression of the eyes, indicating merriment, satisfaction or derision, and usually attended by a sonorous and interrupted expulsion of air from the lungs.
Humour
(uncountable) The quality of being amusing, comical, funny.
She has a great sense of humour, and I always laugh a lot whenever we get together.
The sensitive subject was treated with humour, but in such way that no one was offended.
Laughter
(archaic) A reason for merriment.
Humour
(uncountable) A mood, especially a bad mood; a temporary state of mind or disposition brought upon by an event; an abrupt illogical inclination or whim.
He was in a particularly vile humour that afternoon.
Laughter
The sound of laughing
Humour
Any of the fluids in an animal body, especially the four "cardinal humours" of blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm that were believed to control the health and mood of the human body.
Laughter
The activity of laughing; the manifestation of joy or mirth of scorn;
He enjoyed the laughter of the crowd
Humour
(medicine) Either of the two regions of liquid within the eyeball, the aqueous humour and vitreous humour.
Humour
(obsolete) Moist vapour, moisture.
Humour
(transitive) To pacify by indulging.
I know you don't believe my story, but humour me for a minute and imagine it to be true.
Humour
Same as humor.
Humour
A characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling;
Whether he praised or cursed me depended on his temper at the time
He was in a bad humor
Humour
A message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
Humour
(Middle Ages) one of the four fluids in the body whose balance was believed to determine your emotional and physical state;
The humors are blood and phlegm and yellow and black bile
Humour
The liquid parts of the body
Humour
The quality of being funny;
I fail to see the humor in it
Humour
The trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous;
She didn't appreciate my humor
You can't survive in the army without a sense of humor
Humour
Put into a good mood
Common Curiosities
What triggers laughter?
Laughter is typically triggered by humorous stimuli, social interactions, or tickling.
How does cultural difference affect humour?
Cultural differences can greatly affect what individuals find humorous based on societal norms and values.
How is laughter beneficial to health?
Laughter can reduce stress, strengthen the immune system, and increase pain tolerance.
What is a "sense of humour"?
A sense of humour refers to the ability to appreciate or express humour.
Can humour exist without laughter?
Yes, humour can be appreciated intellectually without resulting in audible laughter.
Is laughter always a sign of happiness?
Not always; laughter can also express nervousness or be used as a social coping mechanism.
Can humour be harmful?
Yes, when it stereotypes or mocks certain groups, it can perpetuate harm or social division.
How does one develop a better sense of humour?
Engaging with diverse comedic content and practicing joke-telling or witty commentary can enhance one's sense of humour.
Why do people have different reactions to the same humorous content?
Personal experiences, cultural backgrounds, and individual tastes influence how humour is perceived.
What is involuntary laughter?
Laughter that occurs without the conscious choice, often as an immediate reaction to stimuli or social cues.
What role does humour play in literature?
Humour in literature can serve to engage readers, provide relief from serious themes, or critique societal issues.
Are laughter and humour uniquely human traits?
While other animals show playfulness, the complex appreciation of humour and nuanced laughter are considered uniquely human.
Can humour be a coping mechanism?
Yes, many people use humour to handle stress, anxiety, or difficult life situations.
How do children and adults differ in their appreciation of humour?
Children typically enjoy slapstick and simple jokes, while adults may prefer more sophisticated, context-dependent humour.
How do comedians utilize humour?
Comedians use humour to entertain, provoke thought, or address social and political issues.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
