Laughter in everyday life: an event-based experience sampling method study using wrist-worn wearables

Abstract

Laughter is a universal, nonverbal vocal expression of broad significance for humans. Interestingly, rather little is known about how often we laugh and how laughter is associated with our personality. In a large, event-based, experience sampling method study (N = 52; k = 9,261 assessments) using wrist-worn wearables and a physical analogue scale, we analyzed belly laughs and fit of laughter events in participants' everyday life for 4 weeks. Additionally, we assessed associations with laughter frequency such as personality, happiness, life satisfaction, gelotophobia (i.e., fear of being laughed at), and cheerfulness. Validating our new measurement approach (i.e., wearables, physical analogue scale), laughter events elicited higher happiness ratings compared to reference assessments, as expected. On average, participants reported 2.5 belly laughs per day and on every fourth day a fit of laughter. As expected, participants who were happier and more satisfied with their life laughed more frequently than unhappier, unsatisfied participants. Women and younger participants laughed significantly more than men and older participants. Regarding personality, laughter frequency was positively associated with openness and conscientiousness. No significant association was found for gelotophobia, and results for cheerfulness and related concepts were mixed. By using state-of-the-art statistical methods (i.e., recurrent event regression) for the event-based, multi-level data on laughter, we could replicate past results on laughing.

Keywords: experience sampling; fit of laughter; gelotophobia; gender; laughing; personality; physical analogue scale; wearable.

Figure 1

Recorded laughing events (n = 6,767) across all study participants (N = 52) during participation. Belly laughs are shown in blue, while fits of laughter are shown in red.

Figure 2

Non-parametric Nelson-Aalen estimates (Lawless and Nadeau, 1995) of the mean cumulative function (MCF) of laughing events for different levels (defined at 33 and 66% percentiles for three levels) of happiness, personality traits, seriousness, and bad mood across the study period. Higher scores on happiness, extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness, and in contrast lower scores on seriousness, correspond to increased rates of laughter across days.

Figure 3

The mean cumulative function (MCF) of laughing events for different levels (defined at median for two levels or 33 and 66% percentiles for three levels, respectively). Women tend to have lower frequency when they are older, whereas men show an increase in laughing frequency with age. Moreover, women showed a significant increase in laughter with time of day. Additional analyses separated by gender also hinted on possible gender-by-conscientiousness and gender-by-seriousness interaction effects on laughing frequency (Supplementary Tables S2, S3).