A Thunk is a beguilingly simple-looking question about everyday things that stops you in your tracks and helps you start to look at the world in a whole new light. © Ian Gilbert.
Thunk 16:
Why don't dogs laugh? Is it because they don't have a sense of humour?
Why don't dogs laugh? Is it because they don't have a sense of humour?
31 comments:
Well can animals see comedy ?
Whats the point laughing if you can't see any humour in things ?
Dogs can have fun, I don't think they actually have a proper sense of humour but they can be happy about something and show it (wagging the tail), and the reason they can't laugh is because they lack the organs and ability !
But if they could see humour I'm pretty sure it would be like some altered bark. (Instead of Woof it would be Boof)
I think that dogs laugh all the time. They laugh in a different way then our laugh. Laughing does not just mean making a noise, it could be a motion (wagging tail), or it could be a mental laugh (any head movement). Dogs have a sense of humour, because dogs can "smell" fear, so why can't they be able to detect something funny? Maybe they always do, just they laugh in their own way, and we laugh in ours. We make a noise, they might make a motion.
It is proven that we cannot prove dogs only live on instincts, and don't actually think, and it is proven that, after conducting a series of brain examinations on a live dog, that a dog's brain shows almost every similarity to our brain, and it even has a capability to think. How do we think? Till today, no-one can understand how we think, and what it is, as no-one can prove it. Sure, I can say a series of electric discharges, but in the end, it all comes down to Philosophy. Maybe we are not thinking at all, maybe we are using our instincts, and dogs are using thoughts.
Dogs have their own way of laughing.
I think we need to make a difference between feeling happy and laughing. I have no doubt dogs feel happy (and other emotions as well).
But to laugh means to find something amusing - to recognise that something is comic - to have a sense of humour.
The thunk is about whether dogs have this ability or not. I think this is an excellent thunk.
Dogs may not understand what we find funny, but who's to say that they do not find some things amusing enough taht they may erupt with the vocal term we have labelled as 'laughter'.
I think it is important to understand, as countless of humans all over the world have a dog in their home, all of the canines' vacalisations, as we now know that barking is a sign of aggression or else an intense amount of emotion, whether angry or happy.
We know that when they whimper or whine, they are either very upset about something or they just want to go to the toilet!
So maybe their form of laughter is the incessant amount of panting that they do; 'ha-ha-ha' only without the 'a'! Maybe that is when they are laughing because the only time they make that sound is when their owner is playing with them or chasing them around, which is just like the laughter a toddler makes when being chased around or being played with.
Exceptionally confusing……umm
Oky..I did some research and found out that as much as we want animals to have emotions they simply don’t. (((( “Dogs pick up on human behavior, and will react in ways that may make the human think the dog somehow knows something.”))))
So therefore I think that dogs don’t laugh because they don’t have a sense of humor.
Who said dogs don't laugh? I think they laugh, maybe it's when they stick their tongues out and run around making that panting/ breathing noise.
dogs are not human, so they cant laugh the way we do. they probably do have a sense of humor but it's quite different from ours. so we cant rule out the possibility of dogs not having a humor
I feel that dogs do laugh. But instead of the usual Hah Hah, its the same without the 'A's. For example, when a dog is playing, there is the exhalation of a forceful breath, which could be the way it expresses its laughter. Just because we do not speak "dog" and don't know what they say doesn't mean that they don't find something humerous. And they are a completely different species compared to us, then why should their laugh sound like "Ha ha" too?
According to research, dog laughter sounds more like a pant. When these 'pants' were played to individual isolated dogs, stress levels were reduced in each dog, whereas at first they were growling, salivating, barking and snarling.
I found this clip, which is an example of what a dog pant/laugh sounds like. Its just about one second, but pretty persuasive, i'd say. http://www.petalk.org/DogLaughSpect.html
Well, as Zaid said, who's to say they actually see comedy?
Since the only species we know of that are able to laugh are ourselves, let's look at why WE laugh, or how. We see a situation or hear a comment that is funny, that appeals to our sense of humor and so we laugh. The key word here is sense of humor.
While dogs experience joy, frustration, impatience and other feelings, we don't know if they have that sense of humor. Judging on the fact that they don't laugh, I 'd say for a fact they have no sense of humor. They don't recognize something funny when they see it, it's simply curios to them.
Im so happy someone agrees with me x)
Haha, looks like Payam et moi found the same research site. (:
i feel that dogs do not have the ability to laugh but im sure they enjoy humour.
my dog smiles at me when he's happy and if i were running after him and were to accidently slip on a bananna peal im sure he would have the urge to laugh but unfortunetely would not have the ability to laugh at me XD
And if dogs did have the ability to laugh and did laugh at their master's it would be to their detrriment because they would get kicked a lot!!
in conclusion not having an ability to do something does not mean that you dont enjoy it.
Now this is going to sound like a tsunami of hate directed to mans best friend but im just trying to get to the point...
I don't think dogs, laugh. Or in fact have any similar reaction to something that they find humourous simply because they don't have a sense of humour. Sure, they can be happy or maybe a little depressed at times but these are quite basic emotions (If you can call it that), things like pity and humour [I think] would require much more brain power which the simply do not have.
Yusra: "as much as we want animals to have emotions they simply don’t."
Sorry Yusra
Ask anyone who has owned a dog - they will tell you that dogs feel a range of emotions: Happiness, sadness, loneliness, jealousy, rage, fear...
How do I know that Mr. Vig feels happy or sad or anxious or nervous or delighted or afraid? - By the way he reacts and because of the fact that he and I share the same neural pathways in our brain.
Dogs (and other mammals) share the same neural pathways as us. They feel emotions. They are not robots. Mammals feel emotions. I know that - just as I know my brother feels emotions - and just as I know you feel emotions.
I personally believe that dogs do laugh, maybe not the way we do or maybe not at the same things we laugh at. But they must be finding things funny, or must be cracking jokes with their pals.
Apparently, the dog laugh sounds similar to a normal pant. But by analyzing the pant using a sonograph, this pant varies with bursts of frequencies, resulting in a laugh.
I'm sure dogs laugh, it's not necessary that u laugh when u find something funny, u can laugh when u're extremely happy too.. sense of humor or no sense of humor, i'm positive that dogs laugh, it may not sound like the laugh we're accustomed to , but it's definately there :)
Maybe dogs dont laugh cus they dont like our jokes
Why dont dogs laugh?
For me, they always seem to be laughing.
Its a different thing whether they are content or in pain. But with their expression, they always look like they are laughing.
But talking about really laughing or not and being happy, an animal has its own ways of expressing that. Like wagging its tail. So if they are not really laughing doesnt mean that they are not satisfied and happy. They might simply express it in different ways.
The day I see a doggy throw its head back and go "HAHAHA" will be the day I stop hugging people.
That said, I'm sure animals laugh, just in their own way. Or maybe they show their sense of humor in other ways, as some previous posters mentioned. Some animals get excited when their owners laugh and start wagging their tails and panting, but some just lay there and stare blankly at you.
I bet all animals are different, just like us humans :3 Bet there's a Neiha!doggy somewhere out there too!
...except probably not, but a girl can dream!
A laugh doesn't necessarily have to be out loud.
Everyone has different ways of reacting to someones sense of humour. It is a universal fact that dogs wag their tails when they're happy/excited, and we all know that.
Just because humans laugh to express something humourous, it doesn't mean every living thing on the planet expresses it in the same way.
Yes dogs do laugh. Apparently the breathy exhalations dogs make during play are a type of laughter. There was an experiment where they recorded dog sounds in dog parks from a distance using parabolic microphones.
The sounds elicited play; dogs picked up a toy and trotted over to a person or another dog (depending who was in the room). The breathy exhalation was found to have a different frequency than regular panting from exertion. However it isnt fully proven.
Well I think dogs have no idea what humor is. Barking may be laughing in there speech.
In my opinion, OFCOURSE they have a sense of humour! Dogs are mans best friend; if they weren't good natured(and im not only talking about emotions such as happy,sad,anxious, etc.), we wouldn't really get along with them would we?
Besides, just because their laugh doesn't sound the same as ours doesn't mean they don't laugh at all... they ARE after all creates; us humans, we aren't the only living beings around! Maybe when they pant its meant to be a laugh, maybe the wag of their tail is meant to be a laugh; we never know. But one things for sure - if they can feel sad happy or whatever - surely, they can have a sense of humour!
That happy face, of a dog with his tongue sticking out, his tail wagging, his mouth open so wide it could be called a smile; that's when I feel a dog laughs.
Laughing isn't just about finding something funny- it is also about expressing pure happiness. If a dog sees his owner after a long period of time apart, he would be happy beyond belief, and have a look of pure joy :)
Now, humour; if a human watches someone else walk down the street and slip on a banana peel, they would laugh heartily. But in the case of a dog, I'm not so sure if they find the same things funny. Sure they have their own vivid sense of humour, but it most cases, it differs from ours.
I think that dogs do laugh but in their own unique way which we do not understand.Therefore dogs do have a sense of humour.
Aisha Bashir
10g2
Every living creature, I think at least, should have a way of expressing their joy. The human;s way of expressing joy is through laughter, this doesn't mean that every other living creature has to laugh to express their joy.
A dog could be expressing joy, by wagging its tail, or maybe through the way it breathes, who knows!!
Well, dogs don't understand our language and neither do we understand theirs. So how do we know what they find funny? They probably have a different view than ours of looking at things. Myabe they do laugh but how can we differentiate between their laugh and the other 'bark' language?
we will never know the answer to that question. as none of us can speak the language dog.
to me the way a dog expresses it's felling is through the way it acts.
And what we think is funny and what a dog thinks is funny could be completly diffrent.so untill we can understand what they mean when they woof we will never know.
I guess dogs do laugh or smile and do have emotions to portray but I guess it must be really different then the way we portray our emotions - a smile sums up that we are happy maybe for dogs its completely different. Dogs are animals which are very similar to human beings so im sure they too understand emotions as well as feel them.
every living thing has to have emotion.so i think dogs do laugh at times. nnamdi
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