--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Laughter is man's most distinctive…" description: "\"Laughter is man's most distinctive emotional expression. Man shares the capacity for love and hate, anger and fear, loyalty and grief, with other livin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/margaret-mead-982_anger-and-fear_laughter-is-man-s-most-distinctive-emoti_2712639.jpg" --- # Laughter is man's most distinctive emotional expression… ![“Laughter is man's most distinctive emotional expression. Man shares the capacity for love and hate, anger and fear, loyalty and grief, with other living creatures. But humour, which has an intellectual as well as an emotional element belongs to man” quote by Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/margaret-mead-982_anger-and-fear_laughter-is-man-s-most-distinctive-emoti_2712639.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/margaret-mead-982_anger-and-fear_laughter-is-man-s-most-distinctive-emoti_2712639.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/margaret-mead-982_anger-and-fear_laughter-is-man-s-most-distinctive-emoti_2712639.jpg) > “Laughter is man's most distinctive emotional expression. Man shares the capacity for love and hate, anger and fear, loyalty and grief, with other living creatures. But humour, which has an intellectual as well as an emotional element belongs to man” [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor is uniquely human, blending intellect and emotion, distinguishing us from other animals despite shared basic emotions. **In simple terms:** Humor is a uniquely human blend of mind and feeling. Key Takeaway Cultivate humor to enhance human connection. Themes anthropology emotion humor Mood reflective lighthearted Type anthropological inspirational When to use this quote - education - team building - cross‑cultural communication Key Concepts cognitive-emotional integration human uniqueness Questions to Reflect On - How does humor reflect cultural values? - Can humor bridge emotional gaps? A Different Perspective Humor can be misunderstood across cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger and fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger-and-fear/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Emotional expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-expression/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hate Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate-anger/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Humour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humour/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Living creatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-creatures/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love and hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-and-hate/) [Loyalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loyalty/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [“What we feel and how we feel is far more important than what we think and how we think. Feeling is the stuff of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/what-we-feel-and-how-we-feel-is-far-more-important-than-what-we-think/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [“The first man was not a man, Don Javier tells me, entangled in deep laughter. The first man was a woman...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-sar-calvo/the-first-man-was-not-a-man-don-javier-tells-me-entangled-in-deep/) [César Calvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-sar-calvo/) > [The laughter of man is more terrible than his tears, and takes more forms hollow, heartless, mirthless, maniacal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/the-laughter-of-man-is-more-terrible-than-his-tears-and-takes-more/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) > [But if you listen to great piano players, both classical and jazz, there's a huge range of dynamics and colors and emotional expression that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-burton/but-if-you-listen-to-great-piano-players-both-classical-and-jazz/) [Gary Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-burton/) > [During the time of prayer for healing I encourage people to 'dial down', that is, to relax and resist becoming emotionally worked up. Stirred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/during-the-time-of-prayer-for-healing-i-encourage-people-to-dial-down/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [“Like stress, emotion is a concept we often invoke without a precise sense of its meaning. And, like stress, emotions have several components. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/like-stress-emotion-is-a-concept-we-often-invoke-without-a-precise/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“Human infants are born with no capability whatsoever to hide or suppress any feeling, be it hunger, fear, discomfort or pain. Healthy newborns are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/human-infants-are-born-with-no-capability-whatsoever-to-hide-or/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [Dance is the product of the necessity for pure emotional expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-meri/dance-is-the-product-of-the-necessity-for-pure-emotional-expression/) [La Meri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-meri/) > [“I’m mesmerized by lipstick prints on coffee cups. By the lines of lips against white pottery. By the color chosen by the woman who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-leblanc/i-m-mesmerized-by-lipstick-prints-on-coffee-cups-by-the-lines-of-lips/) [Jeanette LeBlanc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-leblanc/) > [In the final analysis, the incident is seen as originating from an emotional expression of the frustration and anger of the proud people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-final-analysis-the-incident-is-seen-as-originating-from-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Religion is (a) a pre-scientific system of explanation and technology; (b) a source of meaning, direction and emotional expression in life; (c) a means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-more/religion-is-a-a-pre-scientific-system-of-explanation-and-technology-b/) Max More > [Anger clearly has its proper place at work, which is neither wholly absent nor ever present. The manager who is an emotional blank is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/anger-clearly-has-its-proper-place-at-work-which-is-neither-wholly/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [“My friend Julie was cooking dinner in her kitchen one night. Her expression was blank as she stood alone working by herself. Her daughter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/my-friend-julie-was-cooking-dinner-in-her-kitchen-one-night-her/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Emotional Literacy means being able to recognise what you are feeling, so that it doesn't interfere with thinking. It becomes another dimension to draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-orbach/emotional-literacy-means-being-able-to-recognise-what-you-are-feeling/) [Susie Orbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-orbach/) > [“Francie had heard swearing since she had heard words. Obscenity and profanity had no meaning as such among those people. They were emotional expressions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/francie-had-heard-swearing-since-she-had-heard-words-obscenity-and/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) ## More by Margaret Mead > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [If one cannot state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent twelve-year-old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/if-one-cannot-state-a-matter-clearly-enough-so-that-even-an/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [I learned the value of hard work by working hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/i-learned-the-value-of-hard-work-by-working-hard/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/children-must-be-taught-how-to-think-not-what-to-think/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Women are scolded both for being mothers and for not being mothers, for wanting to eat their cake and have it too, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/women-are-scolded-both-for-being-mothers-and-for-not-being-mothers/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [we came to realize that a civilization which rode roughshod over the way of life of other peoples was incorporating evil in its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-came-to-realize-that-a-civilization-which-rode-roughshod-over-the/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [WE MUST DEVISE A SYSTEM IN WHICH PEACE IS MORE REWARDING THAN WAR.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-must-devise-a-system-in-which-peace-is-more-rewarding-than-war/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Through a grandmother's voice and hands the end of life is known at the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/through-a-grandmother-s-voice-and-hands-the-end-of-life-is-known-at/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [today's children are the first generation to grow up in a world that has the power to destroy itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/today-s-children-are-the-first-generation-to-grow-up-in-a-world-that/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-are-now-at-a-point-where-we-must-educate-our-children-in-what-no/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Humanity . . . lies in man's capacity to question the known and imagine the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/humanity-lies-in-man-s-capacity-to-question-the-known-and-imagine-the/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Fathers are biological necessities, but social accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/fathers-are-biological-necessities-but-social-accidents/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and not be held responsible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/one-of-the-most-dangerous-things-that-can-happen-to-a-child-is-to/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [We end up with the contradictory picture of a society that appears to throw its doors wide open to women, but translates her every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-end-up-with-the-contradictory-picture-of-a-society-that-appears-to/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) [Explore all 314 Margaret Mead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) ## More Anger and fear quotes > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Oh, Vixus," I say with a sigh, keeping the tremble of anger and fear out of my voice. "Vixus, Vixus, Vixus. There are no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/oh-vixus-i-say-with-a-sigh-keeping-the-tremble-of-anger-and-fear-out/) [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) > [“What we feel and how we feel is far more important than what we think and how we think. Feeling is the stuff of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-galli/what-we-feel-and-how-we-feel-is-far-more-important-than-what-we-think/) [Mark Galli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-galli/) > [“...you have to keep things in perspective, even when you are in the middle if a personal crisis. Fear breeds fear and worry builds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-vujicic/you-have-to-keep-things-in-perspective-even-when-you-are-in-the/) [Nick Vujicic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-vujicic/) > [Let your resistance, judgements, angers and fears inform you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-your-resistance-judgements-angers-and-fears-inform-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ But away from the rituals of Washington, alongside the elation of \[Donald\] Trump supporters, there is deep anxiety, anger and fear. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/but-away-from-the-rituals-of-washington-alongside-the-elation-of/) [George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/) > [“A populist feeding anger and fear is more likely to get elected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/a-populist-feeding-anger-and-fear-is-more-likely-to-get-elected/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [“Everywhere he sees people filled with anger and fear, society breaking up into warring fragments. Each fragment says to the others, “We are right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/everywhere-he-sees-people-filled-with-anger-and-fear-society-breaking/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“That offer paralyzed her for long moments, for now Meenakshi knew—whoever it was inside her, she meant business. And then, she shook herself off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-d-silva/that-offer-paralyzed-her-for-long-moments-for-now-meenakshi-knew/) [Neil D'Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-d-silva/) > [Missing someone has to be one of the worst human emotions. All the other feelings like anger and fear and horror get some much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-potter/missing-someone-has-to-be-one-of-the-worst-human-emotions-all-the/) [Alexandra Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-potter/) > [“Negative relationships built on anger and fear can bring you down, while relationships built on trust and kindness can give you a major boost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cohen/negative-relationships-built-on-anger-and-fear-can-bring-you-down/) [Bryan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cohen/) > [Imagine every day to he 5 the last6 of a life surrounded with hopes, cares, anger, and fear. The hours, that come unexpectedly, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/imagine-every-day-to-he-5-the-last6-of-a-life-surrounded-with-hopes/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“surgery can help to remove a damaged organ but only meditation and quiet time can remove emotions like anger and fear to calm and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-spelman/surgery-can-help-to-remove-a-damaged-organ-but-only-meditation-and/) Teresa Spelman > [“If there’s a place for tolerance in racial healing, perhaps it has to do with tolerating my own feelings of discomfort that arise when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/if-there-s-a-place-for-tolerance-in-racial-healing-perhaps-it-has-to/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [In Israel, waves of anger and fear circulate all the time, but so do jokes and gossip and silky evening breezes. So, too, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-israel-waves-of-anger-and-fear-circulate-all-the-time-but-so-do/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) [Browse all 47 Anger and fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger-and-fear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Laughter is man's most distinctive emotional expression. Man shares the capacity for love and hate, anger and fear, loyalty and grief, with other living creatures. 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