Social facilitation of laughter and smiles in preschool children: Dataset, analysis scripts and supporting materials.

The full dataset, analysis scripts and preprint from our study of social laughter in preschool children.<br><br>Abstract<br>======<br>Surprisingly little research has investigated the social dimension of laughter in preschool children. This experiment studied children’s responses to amusing video clips in the presence or absence of peers. The sample consisted of 9 boys and 11 girls aged 31-49 months (mean 39.8, SD 4.2) who watched three cartoons under three different conditions: individually, in pairs, or in groups of 6 or 8. The social viewing conditions showed significantly higher numbers of laughs and smiles than the individual viewing condition. On average children laughed eight times more in company as on their own, and smiled almost three times as much. No differences were found between pairs and groups, and no association was found between subjective funniness ratings and group size. This suggests that the presence of even a single social partner can change behaviour in response to humorous material. It supports the idea that laughter and smiles are primarily flexible social signals rather than reflexive responses to humour.<br>