Researchers now have compared laughter in humans to laughter in the various great apes — chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans. “Human laughter is faster, more variable and more sensitive to social context than the laughter of other great apes. In humans, laughter has taken on many additional social functions, but its origins likely lie in play,” De Gregorio said. Other animals besides great apes have behaviors akin to laughter. Dogs, for example, display a characteristic ‘play face’ and produce a play panting vocalization during social play.