Journal of Neurology and Psychology

Research Article

Humour, Mirth, or Laughter in Neurology, Nervous Disorders and Diseases

Venkatesan S1*, Ranganatha PR2, Yashodhara Kumar GY3 and Lancy D’Souza4

*Address for Correspondence: S. Venkatesan, Formerly Dean-Research, Professor & Head, Department of Clinical Psychology, All India Institute of Speech & Hearing, Manasagangotri, Mysore: 570006, Karnataka, India, Email: psyconindia@gmail.com
Submission: October 16, 2022 Accepted: May 08, 2023 Published: May 12, 2023
Copyright: © 2023 Venkatesan S, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: Pathological Laughter; Brain-Behaviour; Therapeutic Humour; Gelatology

Abstract

The available research on humor, mirth, or laughter in neurology, nervous disorders, and diseases is sparse and fragmented. This review attempts to collect, collate, and evaluate available evidence afresh in this research paper. Although descriptive, the included literature covers around eighty peer-reviewed published articles written exclusively on the chosen theme. The anatomical, organic, evolutionary, and functional basis is delineated before specific neurological disease conditions are invoked to understand how humor is believed to be generated, appreciated, or can be even used as an adjunct form of therapy to ameliorate these conditions. The opportunities and challenges for humor research in the contemporary scenario for neurology are summarized with a plea for more empirical work in this direction.