There are a lot of ways to laugh, not all of them — or even most of them — indications of real mirth. A not exhaustive listing would  include: The nervous titter, when an audience laughs because its members think they should, but the stimulus is slightly or grossly embarrassing.  The absence of a laugh would signal, somehow, culpability. The polite heh-heh.  A joke isn't all that risible, but the teller deserves at least a C for effort, acknowledging he hasn't fallen on his amour propre or ambushed by an unwarranted egotistic conviction that he had something of interest or amusement to impart. The guffaw: Unexpected hilarity elicits this, usually from persons unafraid of showing appreciation. The snorty honk.  This is from know-it-alls, people who share the teller's convictions, recognize his rightness, and are in on the cleverness. And so on. The new film, supposedly a comedy,...(Read Full Post)