Last One Laughing – Unravelling the Mechanisms of Suppressed Laughter

Have you ever been in a situation where you just can't stop laughing, but you know you really should? While many studies have focused on how humans manage and regulate negative emotions such as anger and frustration, not much is known about how we manage our joy. Expressions of joy may not always be appropriate in social contexts, most prominent in situations where the expression of positive emotions, such as smiling or laughing, may violate social norms and thus require individuals to suppress such expressions. The specific strategies used for this type of suppression, and how they engage the inhibition of planned motor actions such as facial muscle activity, remain poorly understood.

This research project aims to investigate the cognitive strategies and the neural and muscular processes involved in maintaining a straight face, even in highly hilarious situations. To this end, the present series of studies employs a multi-method approach, including behavioral, facial muscle activity, and EEG measures to examine the regulation of positive emotions and suppression of laughter in controlled experimental designs.

Methods

EMG, EEG 

Contact

Dr. Vanessa Mitschke, Dr. Annika Ziereis, Sriranjani Manivasagam, Prof. Anne Schacht