# Laughter People and places / Expression / Joy. Checked 2026-10-13. Real, uncontrolled amusement the viewer wants to share. - Use when: Comedy beats, friends, a product moment that delights. - Phrase: the laugh starts in the chest, the shoulders shake, the eyes narrow into creases, the head tips back once and comes forward, a grin stays after the sound stops - Page: https://directorchair.ai/expression/laughter - JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/expression/laughter.json ## Watch out - Never ask for a smile or for an emotion by name; describe the muscles. Asked-for smiles come back generated and forced. (measured; Director Chair field notes on video prompting (client feedback, Aug 2026)) - Put the trigger first (the door slams, she reads the message), then the performance. Without a trigger the reaction has no timing. (practitioner; Dan Kieft and Higgsfield's tested prompts via Director Chair field notes on video prompting) ## Three intensities - **Subtle:** a breath escapes through the nose, the cheeks rise and the lips press shut to hold it in, the eyes stay amused - **Medium:** the laugh starts in the chest, the shoulders shake, the eyes narrow into creases, the head tips back once and comes forward, a grin stays after the sound stops - **Explosive:** the whole upper body folds forward, one hand slaps the table, eyes squeezed shut and wet at the corners, the laugh runs out of breath and restarts once ## Reference: Joy / Laughter (Explosive) > The eyes squeeze into crinkled slits, the mouth opens wide showing teeth, the head drops forward and tips back, and the shoulders bounce with each breath. The laugh settles into a wide lingering grin. Credit: Emotion Direction (seedance-emotion-direction.vercel.app). Source: https://seedance-emotion-media-1.vercel.app/videos/01-joy-laughter.mp4 Clip: https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/01-joy-laughter.mp4 Poster: https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/01-joy-laughter.jpg ## Prompts ### Nano Banana Pro ``` [your subject] in [your setting]. The laugh starts in the chest, the shoulders shake, the eyes narrow into creases, the head tips back once and comes forward, a grin stays after the sound stops. Reference clip (Joy / Laughter): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/01-joy-laughter.mp4 ``` ### Nano Banana 2 ``` [your subject] in [your setting]. The laugh starts in the chest, the shoulders shake, the eyes narrow into creases, the head tips back once and comes forward, a grin stays after the sound stops. Reference clip (Joy / Laughter): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/01-joy-laughter.mp4 ``` ### GPT Image 2.5 ``` A photograph of [your subject] in [your setting]. People and framing: the laugh starts in the chest, the shoulders shake, the eyes narrow into creases, the head tips back once and comes forward, a grin stays after the sound stops Exclusions: no extra text, no watermark, no logo. Reference clip (Joy / Laughter): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/01-joy-laughter.mp4 ``` ### Seedream 5 ``` [your subject] in [your setting]. The laugh starts in the chest, the shoulders shake, the eyes narrow into creases, the head tips back once and comes forward, a grin stays after the sound stops. Reference clip (Joy / Laughter): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/01-joy-laughter.mp4 ``` ### Seedance 2.5 ``` Scene: [your subject] in [your setting]. Shot 1 (0:00 to 0:05): The laugh starts in the chest, the shoulders shake, the eyes narrow into creases, the head tips back once and comes forward, a grin stays after the sound stops. The eyes squeeze into crinkled slits, the mouth opens wide showing teeth, the head drops forward and tips back, and the shoulders bounce with each breath. The laugh settles into a wide lingering grin. Reference clip (Joy / Laughter): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/01-joy-laughter.mp4 ``` ### Seedance 2.0 ``` Scene: [your subject] in [your setting]. Shot 1: The laugh starts in the chest, the shoulders shake, the eyes narrow into creases, the head tips back once and comes forward, a grin stays after the sound stops. The eyes squeeze into crinkled slits, the mouth opens wide showing teeth, the head drops forward and tips back, and the shoulders bounce with each breath. The laugh settles into a wide lingering grin. Reference clip (Joy / Laughter): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/01-joy-laughter.mp4 ``` ### Kling 3.0 ``` [your subject]. The laugh starts in the chest, the shoulders shake, the eyes narrow into creases, the head tips back once and comes forward, a grin stays after the sound stops. The scene is [your setting]. Reference clip (Joy / Laughter): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/01-joy-laughter.mp4 ``` ### Veo 3.1 ``` [your subject] in [your setting]. The laugh starts in the chest, the shoulders shake, the eyes narrow into creases, the head tips back once and comes forward, a grin stays after the sound stops. Framing and subject stay as in the start image. Reference clip (Joy / Laughter): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/01-joy-laughter.mp4 ``` ## Look further - https://seedance-emotion-direction.vercel.app/ : a clip of this emotion performed in Seedance 2.5 (link only) ## Goes well with - Relief: https://directorchair.ai/expression/relief - Awe: https://directorchair.ai/expression/awe ## Source Families, intensities and emotion names from Emotion Direction (names and structure only, read 13 Oct 2026); the directions are our own words in its grammar: body parts in the order they move, ending on what holds. Rules from Director Chair field notes on video prompting Text CC BY 4.0, Director Chair (directorchair.ai). Reference clips and their card texts belong to their makers.