(c) iStockphoto/bonniej

Here at HSW we’re putting together a bunch of articles on happiness, which makes me all yellow smiley face. It looks like I’m jaundiced here I’m so happy. I’m writing a some of the articles in the happiness suite and there’s this weird thing that keeps popping up, laughing rats. Not just in congruous articles either — laughing rats were coming at me from all angles! Run for your life, yellow boy! Run!

It didn’t have too terribly much of an impact on me; I just thought in a most clinical and detached manner, “Huh, that’s odd,” and continued researching happiness. Then, in the throes of getting to the bottom of why we laugh when we’re tickled (no spoiler here, sucker; you’re going to have to wait to read the article), I came across a video of a rat actually laughing during a tickling from a benevolent human who could have just as easily smashed it with the heel of his fist. Immediate and swift was how I put my research on hold to prepare this blog post, with the sole intent of sharing this clip. What follows is the most endearing video of a rodent you will ever witness. Prepare yourself to love rats!

And heywhynot, here’s a video of a laughing baby too:

More on HowStuffWorks.com:
Can pets make you happier?
Are happy people healthier?
Can laughter cure illness?

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