The Effects of Laughter on Attention

The Effects of Laughter on Attention

Laughter is a fundamental element of human behavior. Although numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of laughter, the effect of laughter on attention is currently unknown. Attentional resources are required to provoke the reaction of laughter, therefore, in instances where a cognitive task occurs in parallel with humorous stimuli (i.e. attention is dually allocated), there is potentially a competition for attentional resources. This competition may result in reduced cognitive abilities during laughter. This study will utilize brain electroencephalographic (EEG) event related potentials (ERPs) to measure attentional processing during concomitant humorous exposure or non- humorous exposure. Specifically, we will utilize two videos previously shown to be̳humorous‘ or ̳non-humorous. Here, we hypothesize that the P300 ERP measure will have a smaller amplitude and longer latency in participants in the humorous condition compared to participants in the non-humorous condition, indicating that during the humorousexposure,thereisapotentialcompetitionforattentionaldemand. Theresults of this study will provide insight into the physiological aspects of human laughter and the processing capabilities of humans during humorous experiences.