Introduction to the Course

Objective: Understand humor’s cognitive, emotional, and physiological foundations.
Key Topics:

Humor processing in the brain (reward, mirror neurons, and limbic activation)

Theories of humor: incongruity, superiority, benign violation, and relief

Physiological benefits of laughter (stress response, vagal tone, immune modulation)

Research overview: humor and therapeutic alliance outcomes
Activities: Interactive quiz; self-reflection on personal humor style
Resources: Articles from Humor: International Journal of Humor Research and Frontiers in Psychology