In this paper, we focus on the development of new methods to detect and analyze laughter, in order to enhance human-computer interactions. First, the general architecture of such a laughter-enabled application is presented. Then, we propose the use of two new modalities, namely body movements and respiration, to enrich the audiovisual laughter detection and classification phase. These additiona...

This paper reports on the acoustic features of the laugh-speech continuum, specifically dealing with formant space, pitch range and voice quality. Results show that laugh vowels are generally reduced and there is a tendency for them to be produced more back and low in the vowel space when compared to speech. The large open quotient and shallow spectral tilt measurements for laughter is consiste...

This paper presents the results of the analysis of laughter expressive behavior. First we present the intensity annotation study of an audiovisual corpus of spontaneous laughter. In the second part of the paper we present the analysis of audio and visual cues that influence the perception of laughter intensity, as well as the study of audio and visual features that differ in laughter inhalation...

This study explores laughter distribution around topic changes in multiparty conversations. The distribution of shared and solo laughter around topic changes was examined in corpora containing two types of spoken interaction; meetings and informal conversation. Shared laughter was significantly more frequent in the 15 seconds leading up to topic change in the informal conversations. A sample of...

In natural conversations, significant part of laughter co-occurs with speech which is referred to as speech-laugh. Hence, speech-laugh will have characteristics of both laughter and neutral speech. But it is not clearly evident how acoustic properties of neutral speech are influenced by its co-occurring laughter. The objective of this study is to analyze the acoustic variations between vowel re...

This cross-cultural study explored along with various personality factors the relationship between laughter and disease prevalence. Previous studies have only determined the effect of laughter on various health dimensions, whereas, this study quantified the level of laughter that was beneficial or detrimental to health. There were a total of 730 participants between the ages of eighteen and thi...

INTRODUCTION The therapeutic benefits of yoga and meditation are well documented, yet little is known about the practice of yoga in Australia or elsewhere, whether as a physical activity, a form of therapy, a spiritual path or a lifestyle. MATERIALS AND METHODS To investigate the practice of yoga in Australia, a national survey of yoga practitioners was conducted utilizing a comprehensive web...

A number of recent hypotheses have attempted to explain the ultimate evolutionary origins of laughter and humor. However most of these have lacked breadth in their evolutionary frameworks while neglecting the empirical existence of two distinct types of laughter--Duchenne and non-Duchenne--and the implications of this distinction for the evolution of laughter as a signal. Most of these hypothes...

BACKGROUND Yoga is a popular adjunct therapy for eating disorders (EDs). A systematic review and synthesis of the yoga literature is needed to guide treatment recommendations and future research. This article provides a review of studies that used yoga for preventing and treating EDs. METHOD Databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles about yoga practice and ED symptoms and correlates....

BACKGROUND Some patients receiving treatment in conventional health care systems access therapeutic yoga outside their mainstream care to improve cancer symptoms. Given the current knowledge gap around patient preferences and documented experiences of yoga in adult cancer, this study aimed to describe patient-reported benefits, barriers and characteristics of programming for yoga practice durin...