Overview

Laughter is pervasive in interaction yet often overlooked in the research. This volume presents a collection of original studies revealing the highly-ordered and complex range of ways that laughs appear in and contribute to social interactions. Building on 40 years of conversation analytic research, the authors of these studies show how the design and placement of laughs contribute to unfolding sequences, social activities, identities, and relationships. Leading experts investigate laughter in settings such as clinics, employment interviews, broadcast news interviews, classrooms, the discourse of children with severe autism, and ordinary conversations. These studies show that laughter is not simply a reaction to humor but serves a variety of roles.