This Is Your Brain On Jokes

Scientists have scanned the brains of comedians and found that they’re basically addicts

- Eric Spitznagel

Ori Amir has always been fascinated with how a comedian’s brain works. “There’s been so much research about what goes on in the brain when you enjoy humour,” says the neuroscientist, who moved to the U.S. from Israel to study at the University of Southern California. “But nobody has looked at the neural activity that happens when you try to come up with a joke.”