Tickling rats to make them chirp with joy may seem frivolous as a scientific pursuit, yet understanding laughter in animals may lead to revolutionary treatments for emotional illness, researchers ...

A new study is linking brain behavior to silly playtime practices. And they have lab rats laughing out loud to prove it.In the video above, you can hear tiny high-pitched giggles from a rat being ...

If you tickle a rat's belly, it squeals with laughter. However, we are unable to perceive this laughter as its frequency, around 50 kHz, exceeds the range of human hearing. Neuroscientist Jaak ...

March 31, 2005 — -- We may know what kinds of things make us laugh -- slapstick, a clever pun, an inside joke with an old friend, an April Fools' gag -- but just what are those strange sounds we ...

To study play behaviors in animals, scientists must be able to authentically simulate play-conducive environments in the laboratory. Animals like rats are less inclined to play if they are anxious or ...

In humans, emotions can bias our thinking and decision-making. For instance, depressed or anxious people tend to be more pessimistic than happier people, expecting bad things to happen and paying more ...

To study play behaviors in animals, scientists must be able to authentically simulate play-conducive environments in the laboratory. Animals like rats are less inclined to play if they are anxious or ...

When the cat’s away, to paraphrase an old cliché, the rats will play. Neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp, working at Washington State University, has devoted a decade to watching that play. And from those ...

How can you tell when a rat is happy? The answer may be to look at its ears. A recent study has found that in a similar way to how humans smile when expressing pleasure, the rodents relax their ears, ...

It was always a joy to watch those laughing, giggling and fighting animals in cartoon films. Of course, a lot of their ...