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Do you giggle or guffaw? What your laugh says about you

Your laugh says more about you than you realise, body language expert Judi James reveals

We all have our own way of laughing and it seems it could say a lot more about us than we think.

New research into whether you giggle, wheeze or gulp when you laugh has been revealed as one of the best ways to tell what someone is really thinking.

More spontaneous types tend to let out a deep belly chuckle; while fun and the more sociable among us tend to have a 'Carry On' type laugh, which conveys their fun and down-to-earth personality.

Body language and behaviour expert Judi James revealed the complex rituals of laughter tell all, in the.scientific study by Lambrini.

Gigglers tend to be more shy, as they make little sound and bend into themselves to express hilarity at someone else's naughtiness, while wheezing tends to indicate a certain control.
 
By studying the different ways we express ourselves you can also tell how genuine someone is, says Judi.

Judi said:“I’ve tied together years of research and analysed the way people behave when they’re laughing at something - or with someone - whether it be a joke or something more that’s tickled them.
 

“You can tell when a laugh is totally genuine because the eyes narrow and close as the mouth falls open. However, certain laughs can be tinged with a desire to look sweet and vulnerable, whilst the person is secretly always up for a dare."

The study separated different laughters into categories, to reveal what each says about you.

THE WHEEZE – FERN BRITTON
In a Wheeze laugh the vocal chords seem to be squeezed so tight that instead of a cluck or a chuckle, the sound emerges as a ‘Muttley the Dog-style’ wheeze.
 
“This kind of super-suppressed laugh can be the result of years spent in a career where silence or keeping quiet is the norm, leading to a form of self-suffocation. This need for uber-controlled behaviour from a jolly character with a strong sense of humour often leads to this kind of swift physical meltdown that includes bending forward or hiding the face plus lots of dabbing of the eyes.”
 
THE ‘CARRY ON’ LAUGH – ADELE

A show-stopping noise that’s contagious, meaning people will be laughing at the laugh itself rather than the comment.
 
“There are shades of Sid James and Kenneth Williams in this bawdy-sounding laugh which is less about facial movement and all about the show-stopping noise projected. The laugh is slightly strangulated, appearing to catch first in the back of the throat before emerging as a wheeze that turns into a staccato guffaw.
 
“The initial attempt at suppression and the lack of movement in the facial features would both suggest vanity or a desire to be ladylike, but when the laugh is full-throttle it’s hilariously natural and expressive, what would often be described as a contagious.  This laugh exhibits fun, sociable and down-to-earth qualities.”
 

THE MIRTHLESS LAUGH – AMANDA HOLDEN


This is over-congruent laughter suggests performed humour rather than the real thing.
 
“With a Mirthless laugh, the mouth is thrown open wide to emit what sounds like a cackle but the expression of humour never really makes its way up the upper half of the face, suggesting the laugh is a form of performance either to be polite or to draw attention and to make the audience giggle at the laugh itself.”
 
THE BABY CRYING LAUGH – NATALIE PORTMAN
A partly nervous kind of laughter that we’ve all been guilty of at some time in our lives when we’ve usually said the wrong thing.
 
“A laugh like this is a distressing display to watch because it mimics a baby crying rather than an adult laughing. The mouth is pulled down at the edges in an expression of sadness and the laugh emerges in staccato gulps of the type a baby makes when it needs feeding. The unhappy-sounding giggling keeps on coming out of the mouth in a bid to drown out the mistake.”
 
THE SUPPRESSED EXPLODING LAUGH – SIMON COWELL
A suppressed laughter with an objective of setting other people off in fits of giggles.
 
“The Suppressed-Exploding laugh occurs when someone tries to smother their laughter, creating a pressure cooker effect - leaking out small, seemingly helpless explosions.  This kind of laughter is prompted by guilt that produces feelings of naughtiness, which in turn intensifies the need to laugh.”
 
THE PSEUDO-INFANTILE – HOLLY WILLOUGHBY
Impulsive bursts of laughter that turns into a mock-hidden one to intensify humour.
 
“This kind of laugh tends to be a ritual that continues from childhood by showing off childlike qualities. Despite this display of mock shame, often the first response of looking around suggests seeking reassurance and at the same time influencing mischievous behaviour among others. The ‘hide’ ritual is probably the act aimed at intensifying the joke for the benefit of others.”


THE SPLIT PERSONALITY LAUGH - CAROLINE FLACK


The noise produced is more like a bloke’s belly laugh: a loud, repetitious chuckling that drowns out everyone else – signifying signs of spontaneity.
 
“A laugh like Caroline’s is a hugely complex ritual, with two completely contrasting sides to the performance. Overall the body language signals are pseudo-infantile, in Caroline’s case with knees pointing inward and held together or her hand bunched into a little fist and stuffed up under her nose in a show of bashfulness or embarrassment.
 
“This contrast suggests a blend of laddishness and recklessness tinged with a desire to look innocent, sweet and vulnerable. This would imply a spontaneous personality who acts first and regrets later, someone who is always up for a dare, but who might have had to become very good at apologising sweetly after the event.”
 
THE GIGGLER – FEARNE COTTON
This involves little in the way of torso movement, just a wrinkling of the face and an occasional bending forward.
 
“This kind of suppression would normally suggest either a certain amount of shyness, or a desire to be seen as ‘good’. Giggling is usually an empathetic and contagious response to other peoples’ naughtiness, meaning the giggler usually sees themselves as well-behaved while happy to egg others on.”
 
THE LAUGHING SAILOR – JIMMY CARR

A deadpan face teamed with helplessly juddering shoulders and the odd noise that is pure comedy gold as it contrasts sadness with a sense of the ridiculous.
 
“The combination of shoulder-shaking plus a deadpan facial expression and a repetitive, high-pitched noise is similar to the ‘Laughing Sailor’ of a traditional two penny slot machine. The deadpan expression plus heaving giggles is so compulsive you pay money to see it happen again. It’s the laugh of someone who never learnt to laugh properly.”
 
THE OPERATIC GIGGLE - GERI HALLIWELL
A loud, tuneless trill sound that might be considered irritating by some.
 
“A laugh similar to Geri’s is mainly memorable for the noise made. Not because it is a loud, attention-seeking laugh, but because the person laughing works their way through the scales.
 
“The slightly tuneless trill - rather than a pretty tinkle - suggests a desire to be listened to and admired.”
 
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