Laughter and Psychopathy in Children: Is There a Correlation?

Laughter is a contagious behavior and an emotional expression to maintain social bonds. 1 A person is likely to laugh about 30 times more when others laugh than when laughing alone. 2 Listening to laughter activates the precentral gyrus, anterior insula, inferior frontal gyrus, and supplementary motor area which are involved in the emotional expressions. 3 Laughter is an essential measure to evaluate atypical social connectedness and affiliation.

However, antisocial individuals and individuals with psychopathy display less social relationship development capabilities, prosocial functioning, and concern about the well-being of others. 4 A study at the University College London examined whether laughter is contagious among boys with a risk of psychopathy. The study used the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory-4R – Conduct Disorder subscale to measure conduct disorder symptoms and…