Cognitive and Emotional Contents of Laughter: Framing a New Neurocomputational Approach

Laughter, one of the most intriguing reactions of individuals, is an important emotional component of intelligence's adaptive processes. Laughter spontaneously appears as an instinctive “gut” reaction; but it is also a cognitive phenomenon (humour), it is social, it has positive-negative valence, and it may wrap itself onto other emotional contents. Laughter becomes one of the most interesting instances to discuss the common information processing that underlies emotions and intelligence. In this article a new core hypothesis on the neurodynamics of laughter and its behavioural repercussions is discussed. The “sentic forms” hypothesis developed by Manfred Clynes for sensory-motor tactile communication is generalized neurodynamically in order to understand the problem-solving characteristics of laughter and the unusual sound features that it presents in our species. Laughter, far from being a curious evolutionary relic or a trivial innate behaviour, should be considered as a highly efficient tool for cognitive-emotional-social problem solving. Explaining laughter becomes a first-class neurodynamic and neurocomputational challenge.