Blush vs. Laugh — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 19, 2024
Blushing is an involuntary reddening of the face due to emotional triggers, while laughing is a vocal expression of amusement or happiness.
Difference Between Blush and Laugh
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Blushing is an involuntary physiological response where the face becomes red due to emotions like embarrassment, shyness, or stress. This reddening is caused by the dilation of blood vessels in the skin. Blushing is often a silent and subtle reaction that can occur in social situations, highlighting a person's emotional state. Laughing, on the other hand, is a voluntary or involuntary vocal expression of amusement, joy, or sometimes nervousness. Laughter involves the contraction of facial and respiratory muscles, producing sounds that can range from giggles to hearty laughs.
Blushing typically occurs when a person feels self-conscious or embarrassed. It is a physical manifestation of an emotional state, often beyond the individual's control. In contrast, laughing is usually triggered by humorous stimuli or joyous occasions and can be a deliberate action. Laughter serves as a social bonding tool, promoting a sense of connection and well-being among people.
The physiological mechanisms behind blushing involve the autonomic nervous system, which controls the dilation of blood vessels in response to emotional stimuli. Laughing, however, engages the respiratory system and various muscle groups, creating a physical and audible reaction. While blushing is generally a private experience, laughter is often shared and can be contagious, spreading joy within a group.
Blushing can sometimes cause discomfort or embarrassment for the person experiencing it, as it visibly reveals their emotional state. Laughing, conversely, is usually associated with positive feelings and social acceptance. People often seek out opportunities to laugh, such as through jokes, funny movies, or social interactions, whereas blushing is typically an unwanted reaction to specific triggers.
Comparison Chart
Nature
Involuntary reddening of the face
Vocal expression of amusement or joy
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Trigger
Emotions like embarrassment or shyness
Humorous stimuli or joyous occasions
Physiological Mechanism
Dilation of blood vessels in the skin
Contraction of facial and respiratory muscles
Social Aspect
Often a private experience
Social bonding tool, often shared
Emotional Impact
Can cause discomfort or embarrassment
Generally promotes positive feelings
Compare with Definitions
Blush
An involuntary reaction where the skin, especially on the face, turns red.
He could feel himself blush as he realized his mistake.
Laugh
To make spontaneous sounds and movements of the face and body that are the instinctive expressions of lively amusement.
The joke was so funny that everyone started to laugh.
Blush
To show a red or rosy color in the cheeks.
Her cheeks were constantly blushing in the cold weather.
Laugh
To express joy, pleasure, or derision by vocal sounds.
He couldn't help but laugh at the comic's performance.
Blush
Show shyness, embarrassment, or shame by becoming red in the face
Kate felt herself blushing scarlet
She blushed at the unexpected compliment
Laugh
A physical reaction involving facial muscles and vocal cords.
The baby’s laugh was infectious.
Blush
Be or become pink or pale red
The trees are loaded with blushing blossoms
Laugh
To express certain emotions, especially mirth or delight, by a series of spontaneous, usually unarticulated sounds often accompanied by corresponding facial and bodily movements.
Blush
A reddening of the face as a sign of shyness, embarrassment, or shame
He had brought a faint blush to her cheeks
Laugh
To show or feel amusement or good humor
An experience we would laugh about later on.
Blush
A pink or pale red tinge
The roses were white with a lovely pink blush
Laugh
To feel or express derision or contempt; mock
I had to laugh when I saw who my opponent was.
Blush
A wine with a slight pink tint made in the manner of white wine but from red grape varieties
Blush Zinfandel
Laugh
To feel a triumphant or exultant sense of well-being
You won't be laughing when the truth comes out.
Blush
Another term for blusher (sense 1)
Laugh
To produce sounds resembling laughter
Parrots laughing and chattering in the trees.
Blush
To become red in the face, especially from modesty, embarrassment, or shame; flush.
Laugh
To affect or influence by laughter
Laughed the speaker off the stage.
Laughed the proposal down.
Blush
To become red or rosy.
Laugh
To say with a laugh
He laughed his delight at the victory.
Blush
To feel embarrassed or ashamed
Blushed at his own audacity.
Laugh
The act of laughing.
Blush
A reddening of the face, especially from modesty, embarrassment, or shame.
Laugh
The sound of laughing; laughter.
Blush
A red or rosy color
The blush of dawn.
Laugh
(Informal) Something amusing, absurd, or contemptible; a joke
The solution they recommended was a laugh.
Blush
A glance, look, or view
Thought the painting genuine at first blush.
Laugh
Often laughs(Informal) Fun; amusement
Went along just for laughs.
Blush
Makeup used on the face and especially on the cheekbones to give a usually rosy tint. Also called blusher.
Laugh
An expression of mirth particular to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter.
His deep laughs boomed through the room.
Blush
An act of blushing; a red glow on the face caused by shame, modesty, etc.
Laugh
Something that provokes mirth or scorn.
Your new hat's an absolute laugh, dude.
Blush
A glow; a flush of colour, especially pink or red.
Laugh
A fun person.
Blush
(figuratively) Feeling or appearance of optimism.
Laugh
(intransitive) To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and eyes, and usually accompanied by the emission of explosive or chuckling sounds from the chest and throat; to indulge in laughter.
There were many laughing children running on the school grounds.
Blush
A sort of makeup, frequently a powder, used to redden the cheeks.
Laugh
To be or appear cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport.
Blush
A color between pink and cream.
Laugh
To make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride; to mock.
Don't laugh at my new hat, man!
Blush
A pale pink wine made by removing the dark grape skins at the required point during fermentation.
Laugh
(transitive) To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule.
Blush
The collective noun for a group of boys.
A blush of boys.
Laugh
(transitive) To express by, or utter with, laughter.
Blush
(intransitive) To become red in the face (and sometimes experience an associated feeling of warmth), especially due to shyness, shame, excitement, or embarrassment.
The love scene made him blush to the roots of his hair / to the tips of his ears.
He wasn't used to this much attention, so he blushed as he saw dozens of pairs of eyes watching him.
Laugh
To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and eyes, and usually accompanied by the emission of explosive or chuckling sounds from the chest and throat; to indulge in laughter.
Queen Hecuba laughed that her eyes ran o'er.
He laugheth that winneth.
Blush
To be ashamed or embarrassed (to do something).
Laugh
Fig.: To be or appear gay, cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport.
Then laughs the childish year, with flowerets crowned.
In Folly's cup still laughs the bubble Joy.
No wit to flatter left of all his store,No fool to laugh at, which he valued more.
Blush
(intransitive) To become red.
Laugh
To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule.
Will you laugh me asleep, for I am very heavy?
I shall laugh myself to death.
Blush
(transitive) To suffuse with a blush; to redden; to make rosy.
Laugh
To express by, or utter with, laughter; - with out.
From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause.
Blush
(copulative) To change skin color in the face (to a particular shade).
When he saw it, he blushed a beet red.
I wasn't surprised, but it was embarrassing enough that I blushed a little pink.
Laugh
The sound of laughing
Blush
(transitive) To express or make known by blushing.
Looking at me with a knowing glare, she blushed her discomfort with the situation.
Laugh
A facial expression characteristic of a person laughing;
His face wrinkled in a silent laugh of derision
Blush
(intransitive) To have a warm and delicate colour, like some roses and other flowers.
The garden was full of blossoms that blushed in myriad shades to form a beautiful carpet of color.
Laugh
A humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter;
He told a very funny joke
He knows a million gags
Thanks for the laugh
He laughed unpleasantly at hisown jest
Even a schoolboy's jape is supposed to have some ascertainable point
Blush
To glance with the eye, cast a glance.
Laugh
Produce laughter
Blush
Of dope or varnish: to develop an undesirable white precipitate on the surface, due to being applied in humid conditions.
Laugh
An audible expression of happiness or amusement.
Her laugh could be heard across the room.
Blush
To become suffused with red in the cheeks, as from a sense of shame, modesty, or confusion; to become red from such cause, as the cheeks or face.
To the nuptial bowerI led her blushing like the morn.
In the presence of the shameless and unblushing, the young offender is ashamed to blush.
He would strokeThe head of modest and ingenuous worth,That blushed at its own praise.
Laugh
A way to respond to something funny or entertaining.
They spent the evening laughing at old stories.
Blush
To grow red; to have a red or rosy color.
The sun of heaven, methought, was loth to set,But stayed, and made the western welkin blush.
Blush
To have a warm and delicate color, as some roses and other flowers.
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen.
Blush
To suffuse with a blush; to redden; to make roseate.
To blush and beautify the cheek again.
Blush
To express or make known by blushing.
I'll blush you thanks.
Blush
A suffusion of the cheeks or face with red, as from a sense of shame, confusion, or modesty.
The rosy blush of love.
Blush
A red or reddish color; a rosy tint.
Light's last blushes tinged the distant hills.
Blush
A rosy color (especially in the cheeks) taken as a sign of good health
Blush
Sudden reddening of the face (as from embarrassment or guilt or shame or modesty)
Blush
Turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame;
The girl blushed when a young man whistled as she walked by
Blush
Become rosy or reddish;
Her cheeks blushed in the cold winter air
Blush
To become red in the face due to embarrassment or shame.
She began to blush when everyone sang happy birthday to her.
Blush
A sign of shyness or modesty.
The child blushed when praised for her drawing.
Blush
A physical response to emotional stimuli.
He blushed deeply when asked about his secret crush.
Common Curiosities
Why do people blush?
Blushing is an involuntary response to emotions such as embarrassment, revealing a person's emotional state.
Is laughing always a voluntary action?
No, laughing can be both voluntary and involuntary, often triggered by humor or joy.
Is blushing a common response in social situations?
Yes, blushing is common in social situations where a person feels self-conscious or embarrassed.
Can laughing be contagious?
Yes, laughter can be contagious, often spreading joy and creating a sense of connection among people.
What are the physical effects of laughing?
Laughing involves the contraction of facial and respiratory muscles, producing vocal sounds and often promoting a sense of well-being.
Why do people enjoy laughing?
People enjoy laughing because it releases endorphins, reduces stress, and fosters social bonds.
Does laughing have health benefits?
Yes, laughing can reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance social connections, contributing to overall well-being.
What makes laughter contagious?
The social and emotional nature of laughter, combined with mirror neurons, makes it easily spread among groups.
What causes a person to blush?
Blushing is caused by emotional triggers like embarrassment, shyness, or stress, leading to the dilation of blood vessels in the face.
Is there a psychological explanation for blushing?
Psychologically, blushing may signal submission or acknowledgment of a social faux pas, serving an adaptive social function.
Can blushing be controlled?
Blushing is generally an involuntary response and difficult to control consciously.
Is blushing always related to negative emotions?
While often associated with embarrassment, blushing can also occur from positive emotions like excitement or romantic attraction.
Can blushing be a sign of honesty?
Yes, blushing can indicate genuine emotions, making it a sign of honesty and authenticity.
Why do we laugh at jokes?
Jokes create an unexpected twist or punchline that triggers the brain’s pleasure centers, leading to laughter.
How can blushing be reduced?
Techniques like deep breathing, relaxation exercises, and reducing stress can help minimize blushing.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
