Gray, A. W., Parkinson, B., &Dunbar, R. I. (2015). Laughter’s influence on the intimacy of self-disclosure. Human Nature, 26(1), 28-43.
If laughter functions to build relationships between individuals, as current theory suggests, laughter should be linked to interpersonal behaviors that have been shown to be critical to relationship development. Given the importance of disclosing behaviors in facilitating the development of intense social bonds, it is possible that the act of laughing may temporarily influence the laugher’s willingness to disclose personal information. We tested this hypothesis ...