Don't Fake it: Human Brains can Detect Genuine Emotion

In the company of someone who tells a lot of bad jokes? Don't bother to pretend and laugh. A recent study shows that our brains are trained to recognize fake laughter.

According to researchers from Royal Holloway, University of London, they discovered some clear differences between how the human brain responds to both genuine and fake laughter. Lead researcher Dr. Carolyn McGettigan examined brain scans of participants who listened to the same people produce genuine laugher or fake it, in which the participants were unaware that the study was about laughter perception.  

Brain scans showed different neurological responses when people heard false laughter. In other words, the brain was able to distinguish between genuine and fake emotion.

"As we celebrate International Day of Happiness today, it's fascinating to consider the way our brain is able to detect genuine happiness in other people," McGettigan said, via a press release. "Our brains are very sensitive to the social and emotional significance of laughter.

"During our study, when participants heard a laugh that was posed, they activated regions of the brain associated with mentalizing in an attempt to understand the other person's emotional and mental state," she added.

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via "Individual Differences in Laughter Perception Reveal Roles for Mentalizing and Sensorimotor Systems in the Evaluation of Emotional Authenticity," via the journal Cerebral Cortex.