Language & Communication, Laughter & Humor

Contagious Laughter in Keas

According to a study published in New Scientist, wild keas—a type of large parrot—can “catch” a laugh. Just like humans, they experience contagious laughter.

When exposed to a recording of the warble-like sound these birds make when playing, their moods changed. They became playful and soared after one another in aerobatic loops, exchanged foot-kicking high fives in mid-air, and tossed objects to one other, in what appeared to be emotionally contagious behaviour. And when the recording stopped, the birds settled back into sobriety and return to whatever they had been doing before hearing the “canned laughter.” Read more here.