Do all cultures laugh when happy, are there any that don't show amusement by laughing?

Question

Do all cultures laugh when happy, are there any that don't show amusement by laughing?

Answer 1

A person can be happy without laughing and a person can be laughing, yet not happy.

Anyway, to answer your question, I haven't been around the world but I've been to a few countries---have Muslim friends, Chinese, Japanese, Americans, Filipinos, Indians, etc.

Some laugh, some don't...actually it is more of person to person. Some laugh easy, some don't. It is more of personality than culture.

Answer 2

Laughter is not cultural. Neither are tears. Both are hardwired into us.

It is interesting though, that the tongue has many uses throughout human cultures. In Japan, sticking out your tongue denotes surprise. Among the Maori, it's meant as a threat.  To me, it denotes impudence.

Answer 3

Wow, the first two answers were incredibly WRONG.

What is funny, or laughable or sad is ingrained in us culturally. Laughter or sadness is not instinctual, however as shown by your first two questions, stupidity is hereditary.

Answer 4

LongHorn you're the only idiot around here. While what certain people consider to be funny is usually a cultural matter, laughter is a physiological response. It is biological, pure and simple.

Answer 5

I remember reading that Chimps laugh though I think it is a little different than ours.  This seems to indicate that it is a very old behavior.

Answer 6

The response is a human, biological universal. The display rules vary from culture to culture. We have studies that show that all humans respond in similar fashion to hidden cameras, when they think they are unobserved and do not need to have great control of display.

Oh yeah, Longhorn, you are an idiot!!

Answer 7

Laughing isn't a cultural thing it's a natural response

Answer 8

There are certain cultures where it is quite tabboo to laugh. All humor is surpressed. Sad, isn't it. When I was younger, my neighbor was a WW II Vet who spent time in North Africa in 1942.  He became involved with various groups of Sahara Nomads there. And they refused to laugh. He said they just prayed all the time. What a mix. Those Nomads and a bunch of American soldiers who can't go an hour with out some sort of humor. Good question.

Answer 9

If there ARE cultures that don't show amusement by laughing, it is due to cultural training.  It is human nature to laugh at something funny, but social behavior can be learned.  

For example, children display behaviors that come naturally, such as laughter.  However, as they learn what is acceptable behavior, they tone down or tone up behavior to fit the situation.  For example, you resist laughing when it is inappropriate or produce a polite laugh when someone is not funny but you don't want to hurt their feelings.

It is plausible that in some culture somewhere laughter would be an inappropriate display.