Preliminary Notes on the Sequential Organization of Smile and Laughter

Sequence analysis of smiling revealed that participants control the timing of smiling in different ways than they do the timing of laughter. Though the sequence of smiling often follows a format of invitation, met by either acceptance or declination, the invitation is not required as with laughter. A smile can occur without an accompanying utterance or recognition point, and may signal the opening of a new topic. While laughter is often terminated quickly when the other speaks, a smile can be maintained while the other speaks or until the other's gaze elicits a different response. In multi-party interaction, laughter is broadcasted while smiles and gaze can be addressed to an individual party and thus play a different role in the interaction.