Don’t try this at home, but tickling a gorilla, orangutan, bonobo or chimp can inspire bursts of grunting sounds. Yes, that’s laughter, says Marina Davila Ross of the University of Portsmouth in ...

Just when you thought the news couldn’t get more bizarre, now this: A new study reveals rats are ticklish. That’s not all. Not only are they ticklish, they laugh when tickled. You read that right. A ...

In 1994, researchers noticed that when rats anticipated an opportunity to play, they would let out a series of squeaky chirps. These were high-pitched, measured at 50 kilohertz. The researchers began ...

Tickling is an intriguing sensation that operates beyond our control. It’s fascinating how laughter emerges involuntarily; our bodies react before our minds can even register the humor (Why Do We ...

Tickling, a seemingly involuntary reflex, evolved not for humor but for connection. It targets exposed areas, triggering laughter when the touch is recognized as safe, signaling non-danger and ...

If you tickle a young chimp, gorilla or orang-utan, it will hoot, holler and pant in a way that would strongly remind you of human laughter. The sounds are very different. Chimp laughter, for example, ...