Animals and Laughter: Do Our Pets Get Our Jokes?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around whether pets, particularly dogs and cats, understand humor and laughter. Participants explore the nature of laughter in animals, its evolutionary background, and personal anecdotes related to their pets' behaviors that suggest a sense of humor. The conversation includes references to studies and literature on the topic.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that animals, like dogs and cats, may have a sense of humor or understand jokes, citing personal experiences with their pets.
  • Others question the nature of laughter in animals, noting that while humans laugh, it is unclear if animals do so in the same way or for the same reasons.
  • A few participants reference studies and literature, such as Jaak Panksepp's work on the neural circuits for laughter and a book by Provine that discusses the evolutionary explanation of laughter.
  • There are anecdotes about dogs displaying what appears to be smiling or humorous behavior, leading to discussions about whether these expressions indicate a sense of humor.
  • Some participants express skepticism about whether pets truly understand humor or are simply reacting to social cues.
  • Humor is also discussed in a broader context, with references to how different species communicate and express emotions, including prairie dogs and gophers.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether pets truly understand humor or laughter. Multiple competing views remain, with some asserting that pets exhibit humor while others remain skeptical.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes various assumptions about animal behavior and the interpretation of expressions, which may depend on individual experiences and definitions of humor.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in animal behavior, psychology, and the evolutionary aspects of laughter may find this discussion engaging.

Math Is Hard
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I always suspected my cat got my jokes..
:biggrin:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7348880/

Studies by various groups suggest monkeys, dogs and even rats love a good laugh. People, meanwhile, have been laughing since before they could talk.

"Indeed, neural circuits for laughter exist in very ancient regions of the brain, and ancestral forms of play and laughter existed in other animals eons before we humans came along with our 'ha-ha-has' and verbal repartee," says Jaak Panksepp, a neuroscientist at Bowling Green State University...
 
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Math Is Hard said:
I always suspected my cat got my jokes..
:biggrin:
He's probably just acting polite, like the rest of us... :-p
 
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Thanks, Ivan, for linking the threads up. I had not seen that other article. I've always been curious about what laughter is - why people do it, but animals don't, and what purpose it serves.
 
Math Is Hard said:
I had not seen that other article.

The other thread is pretty old and had not been active. :smile:
 
smiling dog contest My dog thinks she's funny, she does something she finds amuseing and you can almost see her smirk. She also smiles.
 
hypatia said:
smiling dog contest My dog thinks she's funny, she does something she finds amuseing and you can almost see her smirk. She also smiles.
Ha! The disguise continues to hold...
 
I have seen certain breeds of dogs that smile - or at least their facial muscles certainly produce something that gives that effect. The first time I saw it was when a friend's Australian Shepherd dog smiled at me. It gave me a chill - it was totally unexpected!

My parents' neighbors have a Doberman named Vanna. Vanna smiles all the time - just loves to show her teeth. :biggrin: From what I hear she is just a big ol' love bug and gentle as a lamb. Of course it scares the heck out of anyone who comes the door because what they think they are seeing is a vicious snarling Doberman! :bugeye:
 
Ivan Seeking said:
The other thread is pretty old and had not been active. :smile:
I remember that thread! I had been about to start a thread about prairie dogs that were using the same means of communication, but it was so similar to your article, I didn't.
 
  • #10
Evo said:
I had been about to start a thread about prairie dogs that were using the same means of communication
You Yanks are a little backward, aren't you? Our gophers used to whistle, but now that cell phones are small enough to fit their paws... :biggrin:
 
  • #12
ooooh! I am going to have to get that book! Thanks for the recommendation!
 
  • #13
Danger said:
He's probably just acting polite, like the rest of us... :-p

Danger, you're a riot!
That had me laughing, heh.
 
  • #14
Knavish said:
Danger, you're a riot!
That had me laughing, heh.
I wish I could tell if that was sarcasm or not... :frown:
 
  • #15
So much has happened since I last posted (I've actually had to work!). Evo changed her avatar again--Evo you are so pretty. :biggrin:

Okay, sort of on the topic... Once I was shopping for a birthday card and found one that said: "Muskrats don't celebrate birthdays... I say 'no' to the Muskrat way." I thought it was so funny, but no one else did.

Anyway, dogs seem to use facial expressions. Cats just don't bother much--well except when they're pissed off.
 
  • #16
SOS2008 said:
I say 'no' to the Muskrat way."

Try saying that out loud! It's more of a tongue twister than it appears! :bugeye:
 
  • #17
Moonbear said:
Try saying that out loud! It's more of a tongue twister than it appears! :bugeye:
Dudette, didn't you learn anything from Gale17? You're supposed to use your "internal monologue" when you read. :smile:
 
  • #18
Moonbear said:
It's more of a tongue twister than it appears! :bugeye:
I've played regular Twister, but this sounds more interesting...
 
  • #19
SOS2008 said:
Dudette, didn't you learn anything from Gale17? You're supposed to use your "internal monologue" when you read. :smile:

Okay, maybe it's a brain twister too! I can't even think it right. :-p
 
  • #20
I never believed that dog laugh story until I saw it first hand. It was Christmas eve. The cat climbed up into the xmas tree, bit a bulb and was electrocuted in front of the entire family. The dog barked and drug herself to the kitchen to feed [they do that a lot] on two legs - she had laughed her a$$ off.
 
  • #21
Chronos said:
I never believed that dog laugh story until I saw it first hand. It was Christmas eve. The cat climbed up into the xmas tree, bit a bulb and was electrocuted in front of the entire family. The dog barked and drug herself to the kitchen to feed [they do that a lot] on two legs - she had laughed her a$$ off.

:smile: :smile: :smile:
 
  • #22
hypatia said:
smiling dog contest
If they had a laughing dog contest, could I get away with entering my pet hyena? It's kind of a dog...
 
  • #23
On laughter is a great book. It’s almost too good. It almost made me want to go into psychology (psychology...ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww) At least after I came to my sense and decided to major in a real science
 
  • #24
Yes, my dog has a sense of humor about certain things and we think that we can see her smile. Like certain people, she has absolutely no sense of humor about her food. I guess that survival is in an even more basic area of the brain. Must be right next to the politics region.
 
  • #25
Grace said:
Must be right next to the politics region.
I think that the politics part is even older. It has to go right back to the primeval ooze. I mean really, look at how slimy it is.
 

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