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Humor regulates cognitive control: a neural mechanism

Guido P. Band1*, Henk Steenbergen1, Bernhard Hommel1, Sander Nieuwenhuis1 and Serge Rombouts1
  • 1 Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Netherlands

Positive emotional states are known to reduce the impact of cognitive demands and information-processing conflict on human behavior, but the underlying neural mechanism of this modulation is unknown. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine how pleasure induced by funny cartoons regulates behavioral control and neural adaptations to cognitive conflict. Humor activated hedonic hotspots in the basal ganglia, which attenuated the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) response to conflict. This reduced subsequent conflict adaptation as observed in behavior and monitoring-related dorsal ACC activation. Our observations reveal the neural mechanism by which positive emotions regulate adaptive goal-directed behavior. Funding: Supported by a NWO grant to G. Band.

Keywords: emotion, fMRI

Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011.

Presentation Type: Symposium: Oral Presentation

Topic: Poster Sessions: Emotion, Motivation and the Social Brain

Citation: Band GP, Steenbergen H, Hommel B, Nieuwenhuis S and Rombouts S (2011). Humor regulates cognitive control: a neural mechanism. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00496

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Received: 22 Nov 2011; Published Online: 28 Nov 2011.

* Correspondence: Dr. Guido P Band, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, Netherlands, band@fsw.leidenuniv.nl