TORONTO, February 26, 2001 – York University cognitive psychologist Dr. Vinod Goel and Dr. Raymond J. Dolan of the Institute of Neurology in London, U.K. have discovered the neural correlations of the pleasurable effect associated with ‘getting’ a funny joke. Their findings are published today in the latest issue of Nature Neuroscience.

Goel and Dolan scanned the brains of 14 volunteer subjects with a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner (fMRI) and asked them to rate a variety of jokes. Laughing was discouraged to prevent movement in the scanner.

They found that semantic jokes -- Why don’t sharks bite lawyers? Professional courtesy! -- were processed by areas of the brain (bilateral posterior, inferior temporal lobes) known to be involved in semantic processing of language. Similarly, phonological humour or puns – Why did the golfer wear two sets of pants? He got a hole in one! – were processed by the areas of the brain known to be involved in speech production (left inferior prefontal cortex and insula).

The most significant finding, however, was that both types of jokes activated the medial ventral prefontal cortex, an area of the brain known to represent and control reward-related behaviours. Activity in this region also correlated with subjects’ ratings of the degree of funniness of the jokes.

"We were interested in the lateral thinking shift that takes place in the brain’s processing of humour," explains Goel, noting that the set-up line of a joke focuses you in one direction while the punch line snaps you into another. "Our research shows that the functional anatomy of these lateral shifts is different than previously thought." The discovery contributes to understanding of brain organization and function and has long-term implications for patient care.

Goel points out however that while a lateral thinking shift is necessary, it is not always sufficient for appreciation of a joke. "Personally, I don’t see the humor in this, but it was a big hit with my subjects in the U.K. -- Why is an elephant unlike a biscuit? Because you can’t dunk an elephant in your tea!"

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For further information, please contact:

Dr. Vinod Goel
Dept. of Psychology
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 66150
vgoel@yorku.ca

Susan Bigelow
Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22091
sbigelow@yorku.ca
YU/016/01