Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Laughter abolishes binocular rivalry.

John D Pettigrew1

  • 1Vision, Hearing and Touch Research Centre, University of Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia.

Clinical & Experimental Optometry
|January 22, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The Distribution of Ki-67 and Doublecortin Immunopositive Cells in the Brains of Three Microchiropteran Species, Hipposideros fuliginosus, Triaenops persicus, and Asellia tridens.

Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)·2016
Same author

Retinal ganglion cell topography and spatial resolving power in African megachiropterans: Influence of roosting microhabitat and foraging.

The Journal of comparative neurology·2016
Same author

Nuclear organisation of some immunohistochemically identifiable neural systems in five species of insectivore-Crocidura cyanea, Crocidura olivieri, Sylvisorex ollula, Paraechinus aethiopicus and Atelerix frontalis.

Journal of chemical neuroanatomy·2016
Same author

Organization of cholinergic, catecholaminergic, serotonergic and orexinergic nuclei in three strepsirrhine primates: Galago demidoff, Perodicticus potto and Lemur catta.

Journal of chemical neuroanatomy·2015
Same author

Nuclear organization of some immunohistochemically identifiable neural systems in two species of the Euarchontoglires: A Lagomorph, Lepus capensis, and a Scandentia, Tupaia belangeri.

Journal of chemical neuroanatomy·2015
Same author

Mapping the Visual World of Fishes.

Brain, behavior and evolution·2015
Same journal

An international survey of low vision rehabilitation services.

Clinical & experimental optometry·2026
Same journal

Readiness of the tabletop screen-based perimetry tests for screening and monitoring glaucoma.

Clinical & experimental optometry·2026
Same journal

Validation of the vision quality of life-time survey: comparison with the convergence insufficiency symptom survey.

Clinical & experimental optometry·2026
Same journal

Measuring contrast sensitivity in school children and young adults: a comparison between Pelli-Robson and SpotChecks charts.

Clinical & experimental optometry·2026
Same journal

Three-year retinal and visual outcomes after ultraviolet- and blue light-filtering intraocular lenses.

Clinical & experimental optometry·2026
Same journal

Repeatability of choroidal optical coherence tomography angiography metrics in healthy young adults.

Clinical & experimental optometry·2026
See all related articles

Laughter can alter consciousness by inducing a mixed percept during binocular rivalry, suggesting complex neural contributions beyond simple sensory explanations. This finding offers new insights into the study of consciousness and the functions of laughter.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Binocular rivalry is a popular technique for studying consciousness.
  • It involves alternating perceptions of unchanging visual stimuli presented to each eye.
  • Typically, observers experience either one stimulus or the other, not both simultaneously.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of laughter on binocular rivalry.
  • To explore whether laughter can alter perceptual states during rivalry.

Main Methods:

  • Binocular rivalry was induced using liquid crystal shutters and a monitor.
  • Subjects viewed horizontal gratings in one eye and vertical gratings in the other.
  • Participants signaled their perceptual state (horizontal, vertical, or mixed).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Retinal stabilization techniques were employed to rule out physical explanations.

    • Main Results:

    • Laughter was observed to stop rivalry alternations and induce a mixed percept.
    • This effect persisted even under conditions of retinal stabilization.
    • Physical explanations for laughter's effect were ruled out.

    Conclusions:

    • Laughter influences binocular rivalry, suggesting complex neural mechanisms.
    • Low-level explanations for rivalry are insufficient.
    • Laughter represents a multi-level contribution to the neural basis of rivalry, related to mood and its neurological functions.