EEG correlates of humor and insight

Introduction. Recently, considerable attention has been paid to studying the EEG correlates of humor and insight. The novelty of the study lies in exploring the similarities and differences in the EEG correlates of original humorous insight and non-insight solutions. Very few publications are available in the literature that address to the psychophysiological study of humor creating. Materials and Methods. EEG recordings of 78 right-handed students were evaluated. The average age of respondents was 23 years. EEG registration was carried out when the research participants answered the question “What's in the picture?” The original stimulus material consisted of simple abstract drawings (droodles), which enabled the respondents to give various interpretations. These interpretations were original and also original and humorous. The study analyzed the strength and distribution of EEG coherence in the theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands. Results. The comparative analysis revealed EEG coherence when finding original and humorous insight and non-insight solutions. This was intra- and interhemispheric coherence in the anterior, mainly prefrontal, and posterior, mainly occipital, cortex. Coherence in the right prefrontal cortex, interhemispheric coherence in the occipital cortex (low frequencies), and also intrahemispheric coherence in the posterior cortex in all the investigated frequency ranges were prominent when finding insight original and humorous solutions. Discussion. The study (a) revealed the role of frequency bands in cognitive and, above all, in creative activity, (b) compared the obtained results with findings of other researchers of the EEG correlates of creative thinking, and (c) described brain correlates of insight problem solving. Conclusion. The EEG correlates of humor and insight are similar.