During Amsterdam’s Museum Night, Wendy Scholten-Peeters and her team investigated the effect of humour on pressure pain thresholds at NEMO Science Museum. Visitors participated in a simple experiment: their pressure pain thresholds were measured before and after attending a stand-up comedy show. “A pressure algometer was used to apply pressure on the participants’ right arm,” Scholten-Peeters explained. “We measured the amount of pressure at which visitors began to experience the transition from pressure to pain.” The Comedy Train performed the show, and a total of 344 people participated in the experiment. The experiment aimed to raise awareness about the factors that can influence pain.” Participants were not selected according to strict criteria, and confounding factors such as alcohol consumption were not controlled. Nevertheless, the experiment yielded valuable insights. Pain thresholds varied widely among individuals, from less than 20 Newtons to over 100 Newtons. “Notably, people who reported laughing heartily often had a higher pain threshold after the comedy show,” Scholten-Peeters observed. In contrast, those who were less enthusiastic about the humour showed little to no change in their pain threshold. The Museum Night experiment demonstrates that while laughter may not be the ultimate pain medicine, it can be surprisingly effective.
Curious about what the experiment looked like? Watch the video here. https://youtu.be/tCBhLRH2XeM?si=LQT_-CSximpvyIrN
Humor als medicijn: hoe lachen de pijngrens beïnvloedt - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Humour as medicine: how laughter affects pain thresholds - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam