Harnessing auditory laughter to enhance pain tolerance: insights into its psychophysiological mechanisms

Abstract

Background: Non-pharmacological pain management strategies are gaining interest, with the parasympathetic nervous system as a key pathway in emotion-induced analgesia. Auditory laughter, a socially and emotionally salient acoustic stimulus, can activate parasympathetic responses, but its analgesic effects in acute pain and underlying mechanisms are unclear.

Objective: This study examines how auditory laughter affects acute pain tolerance, whether parasympathetic activation and emotional contagion drive this effect, and how individual traits (empathy/pain sensitivity) moderate its analgesic benefits.

Method: Seventy-four right-handed students will complete a within-subjects study with three auditory conditions (no sound, neutral, laughter). Acute pain will be induced via the Cold Pressor Test, with HRV and EDA (parasympathetic markers) continuously recorded. Pain intensity (VAS) and trait empathy/pain sensitivity (questionnaires) will also be assessed.

Expected Results: This study aims to uncover how auditory laughter relieves pain via psychophysiological mechanisms and how personal emotional traits influence these effects, advancing theory and clinical use of emotion-driven, non-drug pain treatments.

Manuscript submitted to Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.