D: Let me hear you laugh, Yael.

Y: Ho, ho, ho.

D: That's not a real laugh. Researchers have found that in laughter we don't make      articulated vowel-like sounds such as ho-ho and ha-ha and tee-hee. Laughter is      mostly composed of more neutral sounds, something along the lines of huh-huh.

Y: Well what did you expect? You didn't give me anything to laugh about.

D: Fine. What's black and white and read all over?

Y: Ooh, let me see. A newspaper? You can't make me laugh with tired riddles, Don.

D: Forget it then. Let me just tell you what else I know about laughter. In men and      women both, laughter reaches surprisingly high frequencies. Frequency is measured      by the rate at which the vocal cords vibrate. We hear frequency as pitch. The      laughter in some men can be as high as a soprano's high C, and in women, laughter      can reach the pitch of an octave higher than that.

Y: That is pretty impressive. One might think we would shatter glass when we laughed,      like opera singers do in cartoons.

D: What's more is not all laughter is voiced like this--meaning not all laughter involves      the vocal cords. Of those who do voice their laughter, a majority of them are      women. The resulting sounds are often song-like. Some people, however, make      grunting and snorting noises in their laughter.

Y: Let me guess. Mostly men grunt and snort.

D: Well, that's true, but so what? We can't help it.

Y: You snort so much you're embarrassed about it? Now that might make me laugh.      Let's hear you laugh, Don.

D: No. Leave me alone.  

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