PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “LAUGHTER”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

A study of laughter and dissociation: distinct correlates of laughter and smiling during bereavement.

Laughter facilitates the adaptive response to stress by increasing the psychological distance from distress and by enhancing social relations. To test these hypotheses, the authors related measures of bereaved adults' laughter and smiling 6 months postloss to measures of their (a) subjective emotion and dissociation from distress, (b) social relations, and (c) responses they evoked in others. Duchenne laughter, which involves orbicularis oculi muscle action, related to self-reports of reduced anger and increased enjoyment, the dissociation of distress, better social relations, and positive responses from strangers, whereas non-Duchenne laughter did not. Lending credence to speculations in the ethological literature, Duchenne laughter correlated with different intrapersonal and interpersonal responses than Duchenne smiles. Discussion focuses on the relevance of these findings to theories of positive emotion.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2002

Perceived attributes of health-promoting laughter: a cross-generational comparison.

A small but growing body of empirical data support the popular belief that laughter benefits health. However, there are many varieties of laughter and no reason to assume all varieties should be, or would be, perceived as equally beneficial. The authors examined which types of laughter and which characteristics of laughter people associate with health and whether there are generational differences in this perception. Young adults and older participants rated 12 laughter terms (e.g., chuckle, giggle, belly laugh) on their contribution to health and assessed various aspects of each laughter type on 11 scales. The young adults characterized health-promoting laughter as strong, active, uninhibited, and involving movement; the older participants characterized it as socially appropriate. Both groups associated health-promoting laughter strongly with positive emotion and absence of malice. Implications for placebo effects in laughter interventions are discussed. Differences between humor and laughter and among the proposed mechanisms by which they affect health are clarified.

Affect↗
PubMed2001

The elevation of natural killer cell activity induced by laughter in a crossover designed study.

The elevation of natural killer cell activity (NKCA) by laughter was not confirmed due to incomplete methodology of previous studies although positive emotion is believed to be favorable for health. To verify NKCA elevation by laughter in a crossover design, we measured NKCA before and after watching films, presenting 75-min comic film and non-emotional control film at different days to the same 21 healthy male subjects. Electromyogram of left major zygomatic muscle was obtained during the films to quantify the magnitude of laughter as an index of emotional expression. As indices of emotional experience, the self-rated pleasantness of the comic film and mood state before and after film were measured using visual analogue scale and Profiles of Mood State (POMS), respectively. The comic film significantly elevated NKCA (26.5-29.4%, p<0.05), whereas the control film did not (27.1-24.8%, not significant). This is the first study to demonstrate NKCA elevation by laughter in a crossover designed study. To examine the contribution of experiential and expressive aspects of laughter to NKCA elevation, correlation of NKCA elevation with the self-rated pleasantness, mood scores before and after comic film and the magnitude of laughter was statistically tested. We found that NKCA elevation was negatively correlated with the scores of negative mood scales of POMS while NKCA elevation had no significant correlation with self-rated pleasantness and the magnitude of laughter. Further group analysis revealed that high scores of depression and anger-hostility suppressed NKCA elevation by laughter. We also found that NKCA before and after comic film had tendency of correlation with self-rated pleasantness of the comic film while NKCA had no correlation with the magnitude of laughter. These findings suggest that NKCA elevation and NKCA before and after comic film seem to be related with the experiential aspects of laughter rather than with the expressive aspects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

The functions and dysfunctions of laughter.

Laughter is not usually included in the curriculum of medical schools, therefore it is often neglected by physicians. Laughter is a reflex located in the reticular system of the hindbrain. Rich connections explain its complexity. Laughter appears very early in life and each individual has a very characteristic and stable laughing style. Laughter and speech differentiate human beings from the animal kingdom. Laughter is a unique communication media, common to all human societies speaking different languages. Laughter has a mood elevating and relaxing effect. Laughter dysfunction consists of inappropriate response to the meaning or to the stimulus intensity. In the present study, laughter's dysfunction and disorders are presented. The purpose of this study was to extricate laughter from the diffuse obscurity of information into a new area of interest for scientific research.

Brain Diseases↗
PubMed2002

Sharing humour and laughter in autism and Down's syndrome.

Everyday humour and laughter can tell us about children's ability to engage with and understand others. A group of 19 pre-school children with autism and 16 pre-school children with Down's syndrome, matched on non-verbal mental age, participated in a cross-sectional study. Parental reports revealed no group differences in overall frequencies of laughter or laughter at tickling, peekaboo or slapstick. However, in the autism group, reported laughter was rare in response to events such as funny faces or socially inappropriate acts, but was common in strange or inexplicable situations. Reported responses to others' laughter also differed: children with autism rarely attempted to join in others' laughter and rarely attempted to re-elicit it through acts of clowning or teasing. Analysis of videotaped interactions also showed no group differences in frequencies of child or adult laughter. However, the children with autism showed higher frequencies of unshared laughter in interactive situations and lower frequencies of attention or smiles in response to others' laughter. Humour is an affective and cultural phenomenon involving the sharing of affect, attention and convention; children with autism show problems in some simple affective and mutual as well as joint attentional and cultural aspects of humorous engagement.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Is motor inhibition during laughter due to emotional or respiratory influences?

We compared the effects of laughter and several respiratory movements on spinal motor excitability to unravel their respective influences. We measured H-reflexes in 13 healthy volunteers during 10 different tasks (including laughter, simulated laughter, and various respiratory movements). We compared the percentage that remained of the initial H-reflex during each task with that during a neutral task. H-reflex percentage differed between the neutral task (79.4 +/- 16.1%), true laughter (43.7 +/- 17.9%), and simulated laughter (66.6 +/- 24.3%), and between the two latter tasks. Coughing also resulted in H-reflex suppression, but not as deeply as true laughter. During the other respiratory maneuvers, the H-reflex increased compared to the neutral task. Our finding that true laughter evoked more H-reflex depression than simulated laughter suggests that mirth on its own depresses the H-reflex. This mechanism may also be involved in the pathophysiology of cataplexy, the main symptom of narcolepsy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Mirth, laughter and gelastic seizures.

Little is known about what pathways subserve mirth and its expression laughter. We present three patients with gelastic seizures and laughter elicited by electrical stimulation of the cortex who provide some insight into the mechanisms of laughter and its emotional concomitants. The first patient had seizures manifested by laughter without a subjective feeling of mirth. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a cavernous haemangioma in the left superior mesial frontal region. Ictal subdural electrode recording showed the seizure onset to be in the left anterior cingulate gyrus. Removal of the lesion and of the seizure focus rendered the patient virtually seizure free over 16 months of follow-up. The other two patients had complex partial seizures of temporal lobe origin. Electrical stimulation of the fusiform gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus produced bursts of laughter accompanied by a feeling of mirth. These cases reveal a high likelihood of cingulate and basal temporal cortex contribution to laughter and mirth in humans, and suggest the possibility that the anterior cingulate region is involved in the motor act of laughter, while the basal temporal cortex is involved in processing of laughter's emotional content in man.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Effects of laughter and relaxation on discomfort thresholds.

Two experiments were conducted to test the proposal that laughter is a pain antagonist. In Experiment I, thresholds for pressure-induced discomfort of 20 male and 20 female subjects were measured after each subject listened to a 20-min-long laughter-inducing, relaxation-inducing, or dull-narrative audio tape or no tape. Discomfort thresholds were higher for subjects in the laughter- and the relaxation-inducing conditions. In Experiment II, 40 female subjects were matched for pressure-induced discomfort thresholds. Their discomfort thresholds were measured after they listened to a laughter-inducing, interesting narrative, or uninteresting narrative audio tape, completed a multiplication task, or experienced no intervention. Discomfort thresholds increased for subjects in the laughter-inducing condition. Laughter, and not simply distraction, reduces discomfort sensitivity, suggesting that laughter has potential as an intervention strategy for the reduction of clinical discomfort.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

The integration of laughter and speech in vocal communication: a dynamic systems perspective.

Laughter in infant-directed speech was examined in 13 mother-infant pairs to investigate the possible co-occurrence of speech and laughter. Contrary to previous findings in adult-adult social interaction, all mothers produced speech simultaneously with laughter in up to 50% of laughs. In most of these speech-laughs the onset of laugh and speech was simultaneous. Laughter occurred on both function and content words and was more likely to occur on approximately 2 words and on utterances that were statements rather than questions or exclamations. Laughter and speech are different outcomes produced from a reorganization of the same vocal/anatomical parameters. A 3rd outcome is possible in the form of speech-laughs utilizing features from both laughter and speech. In speech-laughs, the duration of the vocalization was more likely to increase, and the changes in the utterance were likely to include 1 or more of the features of vowel elongation, syllabic pulsation, breathiness, and pitch change. These findings and individual variations in the resulting vocal output are discussed from a dynamic systems perspective. It is argued that neither speech nor laughter is dominant when both are combined, but that this is a more complex vocal outcome produced with idiosyncratic flexibility within stable temporal and physiological constraints.

Communication↗
PubMed2003

Dynamic-acoustic variation causes differences in evaluations of laughter.

Exposure to laughter has striking effects on human listeners and may facilitate positive emotional and behavioural responses. The acoustic signal pattern of laughter vocalisations is particularly suitable to elicit these reactions. However, little is known about factors that lead to differences in reactions of listeners. The acoustic quality of laughter, the social context, and the disposition of the listener are possible variables in differences in evaluation. We conducted experiments using playback techniques in which human laughter elicited in a natural setting was evaluated by listeners (N=90). Listeners evaluated several phrases of laughter produced by different laughing targets. We investigated the role of the characteristics of voice, dynamic-acoustic characteristics, and order of playback sequence on the evaluation of laughter. The dynamic-acoustic characteristics of laughter significantly affected evaluations by listeners, whereas voice and the playback order did not. An acoustic analysis allowed us to identify acoustic parameters that contribute to such differences in evaluation.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Sharing laughter: the humour of pre-school children with Down syndrome.

Humour and laughter have often been portrayed as fundamentally cultural and social phenomena. They can be used to tell us about children's ability to engage socially and to understand others, but have rarely been explored for this purpose. The present paper summarises the results of a study of simple forms of humour in children with Down syndrome and with autism, two groups which are reported to differ in their sociality and interpersonal understanding. Sixteen children with Down syndrome and 19 children with autism, matched on non-verbal mental age, participated in a cross-sectional study. Parental reports and video-tapes of naturalistic interaction between parents and children were analysed to show that although there were no overall differences in the presence or frequency of child or parent laughter between the two groups, there were differences in what sorts of events were more likely to prompt child laughter, the extent to which child laughter was shared, and how the children responded to others' laughter. The children with Down syndrome were more likely than the children with autism to laugh at funny faces and socially inappropriate acts and less likely to laugh in strange or inexplicable situations, and more likely to laugh at shared events. They also responded to others' laughter with attention or smiles more, and tried to re-elicit it through acts of clowning. Children with Down syndrome are thus active participants in humour and laughter, sharing it at both an emotional and a cultural level.

Child Behavior↗
PubMed1984

Laughter.

Knowledge of laughter, other than of its clinical manifestations, is tenuous. A unique, ubiquitous human phenomenon, laughter has largely been neglected by medical investigators and relegated to philosophers and naturalists, particularly Darwin. Clinical manifestations are well described, but the many physiological changes accompanying laughter are not. Neurological pathways remain speculative, and those described are based on pathological evidence. Laughter, as a behavior, has many causes, including humor, incongruity, relief, and a sense of well-being. Laughter may have developed for its cathartic effects and adaptive value. As an evolutionary device, laughter may have served to thwart aggression, spread information, and preserve social unity. Laughter's potential for a variety of clinical uses awaits future investigation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Pathologic laughter after unilateral stroke.

Pathologic laughter which usually occurs after bilateral or diffuse cerebral lesions was rarely reported in patients with unilateral stroke. I describe clinical and radiological findings of 13 patients presenting pathologic laughter due to unilateral stroke. Their laughter was excessive, unmotivated, uncontrollable and most often occurred during conversation especially at the initiation of speaking. There usually was a latent period between the onset of stroke and occurrence of the pathologic laughter. The degree and duration of the pathologic laughter varied, but its severity tended to diminish during the follow up. Some of them also had emotional instability evidenced by easy weeping. Imaging studies showed that 12 patients had infarcts and one had a haemorrhage. The lesions were located in the lenticulocapsular area in 8, pontine base in 3, thalamocapsular area in 1, and cerebral cortical-subcortical area in one. The lenticulocapsular stroke usually involved the upper part of the basal ganglia and a genu or an anterior portion of the posterior limb of the internal capsule/corona radiata. In conclusion, unilateral, usually subcortical, strokes can produce pathologic laughter. Although the neuroradiological data presented here generally support the motor release hypothesis, the delayed onset symptoms suggest that more complex mechanisms may be involved.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Pathological laughter and crying: a link to the cerebellum.

Patients with pathological laughter and crying (PLC) are subject to relatively uncontrollable episodes of laughter, crying or both. The episodes occur either without an apparent triggering stimulus or following a stimulus that would not have led the subject to laugh or cry prior to the onset of the condition. PLC is a disorder of emotional expression rather than a primary disturbance of feelings, and is thus distinct from mood disorders in which laughter and crying are associated with feelings of happiness or sadness. The traditional and currently accepted view is that PLC is due to the damage of pathways that arise in the motor areas of the cerebral cortex and descend to the brainstem to inhibit a putative centre for laughter and crying. In that view, the lesions 'disinhibit' or 'release' the laughter and crying centre. The neuroanatomical findings in a recently studied patient with PLC, along with new knowledge on the neurobiology of emotion and feeling, gave us an opportunity to revisit the traditional view and propose an alternative. Here we suggest that the critical PLC lesions occur in the cerebro-ponto-cerebellar pathways and that, as a consequence, the cerebellar structures that automatically adjust the execution of laughter or crying to the cognitive and situational context of a potential stimulus, operate on the basis of incomplete information about that context, resulting in inadequate and even chaotic behaviour.

Cerebellum↗
PubMed1993

Vocal affect in three-year-olds: a quantitative acoustic analysis of child laughter.

Recordings were obtained of the laughter vocalizations of four 3-year-old children during three sessions of spontaneous free-play between mother and child in a laboratory playroom. Acoustic analysis was used to determine laughter durations, laughter events, F0, and harmonic characteristics, and to suggest a taxonomy of laughter types. Melodic contours were assessed from patterns of F0 change during laughter. Mean duration of laughs ranged from 200 ms to 2.0 s, but events within a laugh were usually about 200-ms duration. Laughs were intuitively classified into four major types, and, following the acoustic analyses, were further defined and classified into types and subtypes of exclamatory and dull comment; chuckle; basic, variable, and classical rhythmical; and squeal. Melodic contours included more rising contours than previously reported for cry, but there was great variability in the types of contours produced especially for rhythmical laughs. The results of the acoustic analyses are discussed in relation to (a) the development of a taxonomy of laughter and (b) different features of the vocal affect characteristics of high-intensity emotion.

Child Behavior↗
PubMed1999

Involuntary laughter and inappropriate hilarity.

Laughter is a particularly human behavior. Neuropsychiatrists are faced with disorders of laughter, yet the nature of this behavior and its disturbances remains obscure. The authors report an unusual patient with involuntary and unremitting laughter for 20 years and review the literature. The nature of laughter suggests that it has a unique role in human communication, particularly in the social exploration of incongruous information. The disorders of laughter suggest a neuroanatomical circuitry that includes the anterior cingulate gyrus, caudal hypothalamus, temporal-amygdala structures, and a pontomedullary center. Treatment includes the use of antidepressant and antimanic agents for disorders of laughter.

Aged↗