笑聲與哭聲是全世界通用的語言，也是人類社交溝通的支柱，人生中無數難忘時刻－嬰兒出生、牙牙學語、甜蜜初戀、摰愛消逝－皆以笑聲哭聲作背景音樂。然而，有關笑與哭這兩種人類行為的科學研究，卻少得可憐。我們為何會發展出這些不尋常的聲音溝通技巧？這種表達情緒的聲音，是人類獨有的嗎？從嬰兒這種只懂哭與笑的生物身上，又可以有甚麼發現呢？有賴一群認知腦神經科學家、心理學家以及進化生物學家的努力，我們得以對笑與哭的世界深入探討，並發現原來這兩種行為有很多共通之處。

Laughing and Crying
The unmistakable sounds of laughing and crying are recognizable the world over. They are pillars of human communication and social interaction. Both are the soundtrack to our lives’ most memorable moments - births, first words, first loves and final losses. And yet, researchers will tell you when it comes to studying human behaviour there is nothing as poorly understood as laughs and tears.

Why did we develop these unusual vocal communication techniques? How uniquely human are these emotional sounds? What can we learn by studying creatures who can only cry or laugh, you know, babies? Thankfully, cognitive neuroscientists, psychologists and evolutionary biologists are exploring the worlds of laughing and crying. Surprisingly, they’re learning that these behaviours have a lot in common.