Editorial note — Chapter XX · THE EXPRESSION OF FEELING

G. Since emotion comes in waves, expression is reduplicated. This may throw some light on such an expression as laughter. Landor says the Ainu do not in the proper sense laugh, but they roar with delight. It may be that laughter is reiterated roar as resulting from reiterated psychic impulses and feelings. As in the growth of an emotion, waves are multiplied, the expression becomes more reduplicate, and thus laughter tends to become more rippling and articulate. The cachinnation and explosiveness has thus a plausible explanation, which I merely suggest. At least Prof. Dewey’s explanation (Psychological Review, I., 559) that “both crying and laughing fall under the same principle of action—the termination of a period of effort”—is quite too general. Tension ceasing, effort stopped, we “breathe freely,” take deep inspirations. Laughter is far from being the usual outcome of such a status.