Sometimes you laugh because something is genuinely funny; sometimes you just do it to be polite.
Generally, people can tell the difference between a phony, polite laugh and a real one.
That’s because fake laughter is actually controlled by a different part of our brain than real laughter.
We learn to laugh before we even learn to talk, Bryant explains.
It’s an instinctive thing.
Real laughter is triggered by emotion.
Speech is more controlled, and so is laughter without a true emotional trigger.
Other people can usually pick up on this difference, Bryant says.
Chances are, you’re not fooling anyone.
