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Coffee Break

9:30 Coffee Break: Laughing

A group of friends sharing a laugh
A group of friends sharing a laughMarc Kjerland via Flickr; CC BY-SA 2.0

by Jill Riley and Brian Oake

April 14, 2016

On today's show, we described a new study reported in The Huffington Post that suggests that the laughter we share with our friends sounds different than our laughter with strangers. According to Dr. Greg Bryant, a professor of communication at UCLA and the lead author of the study, the differences in the sound and quality of the laughter enables onlookers to gauge the type of relationship the laughing people have.

While this study allowed us to explore the lighter side of science, it also got us thinking about the laughter we hear in music. There are songs where we can hear the singer or, occasionally, the backing band, cracking up. There are also plenty of songs that mention or contain the word "laugh" or related words, like "chuckle" or "giggle." Might there even be a "guffaw"? Well … that's up to you to let us know.

So for today's 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs do you want to hear that contain actual laughter or that mention laughing? Send us your requests.

Songs Played


Laugh, Laugh - The Beau Brummels
The Laughing Gnome - David Bowie
Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran
Laughing - The Guess Who
Laughing - R.E.M.
She Bop - Cyndi Lauper
Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz

Do you deserve a Coffee Break? We at The Current's Morning Show think you do, and we want to bring coffee and treats from Black Coffee and Waffle Bar to your workplace. Let us know why you'd like a Coffee Break – or request your own idea for a future topic.