Gorilla and a man carefully look at each other through the bars. Woman gesticulating animatedly. Monkey meets her the same. Between animals and scientists attending the dialogue - the interlocutors communicate in the language of the deaf. "The brush their teeth, Coco?" - Asks a simple question of the experimenter (gorilla perfectly familiar with the toothbrush and managed it better than a person). Monkey, not thinking a second, shows on its hind leg. "Do not kick, and a toothbrush!" - A scientist makes an observation. The monkey repeated the correct answer. "And what is put on a toothbrush?" - Continues to test a woman. Gorilla shows on your nose and burst into loud sounds, similar to human laughter.

Interlocutor gorilla, a famous American psychologist Francine Patterson believes the similarity of these sounds are not random. For many years she and her supporters argue that the ability to laugh and joke has not only people but also many species of monkeys. Recently, supporters of such an idea has taken a very serious argument. British biologist Marina Davila Ross conducted a study and proved that the human laughter and like it sounds made by monkeys really have a common origin. Apparently, the primates were able to laugh at another 10 million years ago.

Related Sound
From the experiment Dávila-Ross might not seem very serious. To obtain samples of sounds for their research, scientists tickled babies four species of primates: orangutan, gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos. Itchy affects monkeys much the same way as human beings: animals make loud sounds, and some primatologists compare them to human laughter. Assistant, who had a sensitive microphone, could only press the record button.

Scientists "see" the voice recording of monkeys through a computer. And then, just arrived with samples of human laughter of babies. It turned out that all these sounds, there are many common features. Closest to a man were to vote, chimpanzees and bonobos. These animals might and main to use their vocal cords, and their laughter was almost as sonorous as that of men. Furthermore, bonobos often laughed at expiration, as it does people. Voices of young orangutan and gorilla less resemble human laughter. These monkeys published hoarse sounds as you exhale and inhale on.

In general, the closer you are genetically to each other participants in the experiment, the more similar they turned out to vote. "Such a result can not simply be a coincidence, - said one of the authors of the Michael Ouren. - Our data suggest that human laughter has very ancient roots. " According to the authors, the ability to laugh had to have more in common with apes, our ancestors. This means that the history of laughter has at least 10 million years.

"This is a wonderful study, - rejoices Oxford anthropologist Robin Dunbar. - The authors succeeded in using the figures to prove that the laughter of monkeys - the same phenomenon that we observe in people. " And the phenomenon is far from useless. "Primates often publish such a laugh during a game between themselves", - explains Ouren. According to the scientist, this signal allows them to control the behavior of their fellow tribesmen. "These sounds, combined with the characteristic facial expression - a sign of friendship, - agrees Alexander Kozintsev, Senior Fellow at the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, Academy of Sciences. - If the primates were unable to clearly express their intentions, every humorous attack on tribesmen to dispense would be very expensive. "

Seriously
Ethologist from the University of Pisa Elisabetta Paladzhi believes that the ability of primates behave lightly helps them to exist in large groups. In their work, she studied the behavior of nineteen chimpanzees living in the general aviary. With experimental Paladzhi was very variegated. There were males and females of all ages. Scientists have conducted 344 hours in the cell, watching each monkey. Especially ethologists interested in the behavior of animals before feeding.

Wards Paladzhi received food at once. First, the researchers put food in a conspicuous place, but so that the monkeys could not get it. A few minutes later the animals come near to the food. It turned out that it was the waiting period of food accounted for the greatest number of games between members. The frequency of playful attacks, accompanied by laughter and other sounds, sharply increased. In a less tense atmosphere, the animals were not so inclined to indulge in fun. Such performances, confident Paladzhi allow primates to avoid these conflicts. Were it not for laughter and games, nineteen monkeys quickly be at loggerheads with the trough.

British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, too, believes laughter responsible thing. He believes that laughter made the monkey man. Friendly sounds accompanying the game primitive human ancestors, themselves gradually gained importance. So our ancestors had a new opportunity to build relationships. "The social structure in primates depends on a large number of rituals - Dunbar said. - For example, animals are constantly taking care of their hair tribesmen. Laughter - a better signal to one another. Its use has helped our ancestors to build a complex society. His assumption Dunbar substantiates the data of physiological experiments. The modern human laughter is the most genuine pleasure - in the blood ejected substance causing euphoria. The same thing happens in monkeys during the ritual of caring for their fellow tribesmen.

According to the anthropologist, pragmatic occupation laughter has ceased to be only when a person has a new pastime - humor. And in order to start a real joke, says Dunbar, our ancestors had to first learn to communicate their thoughts of others. That is, to invent their own language. Experiments Francine Patterson, Koko the gorilla confirm this assumption.

Psychologist she has developed a language which uses in communicating with Coco. System of thousands of characters based on a simplified version of sign language. Mastered this alphabet, monkey pretty fluently communicates with the researcher. And some of its replicas really resemble primitive jokes. Leaning against the ear of a subject, a monkey can say that this is a phone. Or link to one of the experimenters shoelaces and offer to run a race. However, its ability to ward psychologist evaluates not very high. So joke five-year children.

Funny Instinct
Job psychologist at the University of Maryland's Robert Provayna - the direct opposite of Research Dávila-Ross and Patterson. A scientist studying human laughter and came to the conclusion that people continue to use it in its ancient purpose. That is, in order to achieve the desired response from their relatives.

Provayn and his colleagues overheard more than 1200 conversations that took place in various places: from the queues in supermarkets before the meeting of trade unions. Unsuspecting members of the experiment is often laughed. And this, moreover, that the special occasions for laughter they had not. Only 15% of situations, psychologists were able to find at least some cause for mirth. Most outbreaks of laughter caused quite duty phrases. For example, a greeting. Pronouncing them man first began to laugh heartily. Such merriment, suggests psychologist, is to gain favor with the interlocutor, or at worst, just get his attention.

The findings Provayna agree well with observations of his colleagues from the University of Florida and Roy Baumeister. Psychologist deliberately forced the experiment participants to seek sympathy of others. He gathered a group of volunteers in the laboratory and invited them to perform several simple tasks. Those who do the job, was supposed to reward. In one case a volunteer assistant to a psychologist paid a fixed fee, in the other - the amount of compensation each time an assistant appointed himself.

Results assignments held psychologist least. He was more interested in how members communicate with the experiment assistant. Those whose remuneration is not dependent on the whim of the interlocutor, to behave calmly and with restraint. Volunteers, whose fee determined assistant, in a conversation with him often laughed. They enjoyed the evolution of a proven way to gain sympathy, not even knowing it.
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