Darwin wrote in The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals that he would expect the sound of laughter to be as opposite as possible from the cries of distress. Indeed, in many ways they are. A scream is sustained, whereas a laugh is broken up. A scream maintains a constant pitch, whereas the pitch of a laugh will fluctuate. A scream has indistinct onsets and offsets. It slips out of the air and then fades off. Laughter is much more textured. It comes as a collection of colorful rhythmic bursts, punctuated by jagged staccato edges.
Is a Laugh the opposite of a Scream?
Is a Laugh the opposite of a Scream?
Is a Laugh the opposite of a Scream?
Darwin wrote in The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals that he would expect the sound of laughter to be as opposite as possible from the cries of distress. Indeed, in many ways they are. A scream is sustained, whereas a laugh is broken up. A scream maintains a constant pitch, whereas the pitch of a laugh will fluctuate. A scream has indistinct onsets and offsets. It slips out of the air and then fades off. Laughter is much more textured. It comes as a collection of colorful rhythmic bursts, punctuated by jagged staccato edges.