Neural correlates of humor detection and appreciation

Joseph M. Moran; Gagan S. Wig; Reginald B. Adams; Petr Janata; William M. Kelley

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.10.017

Neural correlates of humor detection and appreciation

Joseph M. Moran, Gagan S. Wig, Reginald B. Adams, Petr Janata, William M. Kelley

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

179 Scopus citations

Abstract

Humor is a uniquely human quality whose neural substrates remain enigmatic. The present report combined dynamic, real-life content and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to dissociate humor detection ("getting the joke") from humor appreciation (the affective experience of mirth). During scanning, subjects viewed full-length episodes of the television sitcoms Seinfeld or The Simpsons. Brain activity time-locked to humor detection moments revealed increases in left inferior frontal and posterior temporal cortices, whereas brain activity time-locked to moments of humor appreciation revealed increases in bilateral regions of insular cortex and the amygdala. These findings provide evidence that humor depends critically upon extant neural systems important for resolving incongruities (humor detection) and for the expression of affect (humor appreciation).

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1055-1060
Number of pages	6
Journal	NeuroImage
Volume	21
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.10.017
State	Published - Mar 2004

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Neurology
Cognitive Neuroscience

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10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.10.017

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title = "Neural correlates of humor detection and appreciation",

abstract = "Humor is a uniquely human quality whose neural substrates remain enigmatic. The present report combined dynamic, real-life content and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to dissociate humor detection ({"}getting the joke{"}) from humor appreciation (the affective experience of mirth). During scanning, subjects viewed full-length episodes of the television sitcoms Seinfeld or The Simpsons. Brain activity time-locked to humor detection moments revealed increases in left inferior frontal and posterior temporal cortices, whereas brain activity time-locked to moments of humor appreciation revealed increases in bilateral regions of insular cortex and the amygdala. These findings provide evidence that humor depends critically upon extant neural systems important for resolving incongruities (humor detection) and for the expression of affect (humor appreciation).",

author = "Moran, {Joseph M.} and Wig, {Gagan S.} and Adams, {Reginald B.} and Petr Janata and Kelley, {William M.}",

note = "Funding Information: A portion of The Simpsons data set was collected as part of an fMRI workshop during the 2002 McDonnell Summer Institute in Cognitive Neuroscience. We thank Summer Institute fellows D. Badre, D. Eakin, K. Giovanello, I. Kahn, T. Krangel, I. Morrison, N. Naqvi, E. Robertson, and K. Shapiro. We thank M. Duval, R. Magge, T. Laroche, and M. Curtis for technical assistance; and A. Baird, N. Macrae, T. Heatherton, and R. Kleck for helpful comments on the manuscript. This study was supported by NIH grants MH64667 (W.M.K) and MH66720 (W.M.K), the Dartmouth Brain Imaging Center, and by the McDonnell Center for Higher Brain Function. G.S.W is an NSERC Graduate Research Fellow.",

year = "2004",

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doi = "10.1016/j.neuroimage.2003.10.017",

language = "English (US)",

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AU - Moran, Joseph M.

AU - Wig, Gagan S.

AU - Adams, Reginald B.

AU - Janata, Petr

AU - Kelley, William M.

N1 - Funding Information: A portion of The Simpsons data set was collected as part of an fMRI workshop during the 2002 McDonnell Summer Institute in Cognitive Neuroscience. We thank Summer Institute fellows D. Badre, D. Eakin, K. Giovanello, I. Kahn, T. Krangel, I. Morrison, N. Naqvi, E. Robertson, and K. Shapiro. We thank M. Duval, R. Magge, T. Laroche, and M. Curtis for technical assistance; and A. Baird, N. Macrae, T. Heatherton, and R. Kleck for helpful comments on the manuscript. This study was supported by NIH grants MH64667 (W.M.K) and MH66720 (W.M.K), the Dartmouth Brain Imaging Center, and by the McDonnell Center for Higher Brain Function. G.S.W is an NSERC Graduate Research Fellow.

PY - 2004/3

Y1 - 2004/3

N2 - Humor is a uniquely human quality whose neural substrates remain enigmatic. The present report combined dynamic, real-life content and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to dissociate humor detection ("getting the joke") from humor appreciation (the affective experience of mirth). During scanning, subjects viewed full-length episodes of the television sitcoms Seinfeld or The Simpsons. Brain activity time-locked to humor detection moments revealed increases in left inferior frontal and posterior temporal cortices, whereas brain activity time-locked to moments of humor appreciation revealed increases in bilateral regions of insular cortex and the amygdala. These findings provide evidence that humor depends critically upon extant neural systems important for resolving incongruities (humor detection) and for the expression of affect (humor appreciation).

AB - Humor is a uniquely human quality whose neural substrates remain enigmatic. The present report combined dynamic, real-life content and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to dissociate humor detection ("getting the joke") from humor appreciation (the affective experience of mirth). During scanning, subjects viewed full-length episodes of the television sitcoms Seinfeld or The Simpsons. Brain activity time-locked to humor detection moments revealed increases in left inferior frontal and posterior temporal cortices, whereas brain activity time-locked to moments of humor appreciation revealed increases in bilateral regions of insular cortex and the amygdala. These findings provide evidence that humor depends critically upon extant neural systems important for resolving incongruities (humor detection) and for the expression of affect (humor appreciation).

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Neural correlates of humor detection and appreciation

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