Laughter gains access to awareness at the threshold of consciousness.
Consciousness and cognition June 1, 2026 Ivonne A Castiblanco Jimenez, Tommaso Ciorli, Martina Froio et al.
Dynamic laughter expressions overcome visual suppression more readily than crying or neutral expressions, especially at the threshold between minimal awareness and conscious perception. In two experiments using Continuous Flash Suppression, participants viewed dynamic facial stimuli and reported category and subjective visibility. Laughter was more likely than crying to break through suppression, with discrimination performance increasing at intermediate awareness levels. When neutral expressions were included, a graded pattern emerged: neutral expressions were suppressed most strongly, crying showed intermediate resistance, and laughter showed the weakest suppression. These results indicate that socially relevant emotional signals differ in their thresholds for conscious access, with laughter prioritized when perceptual awareness is limited.