Dr. Tizian Zumthurm (1.8.-30.11.2022)
Research project
(in preparation)
Laughter is the best medicine, so it goes. The science behind the saying, however, is not clear at all. Research on laughter – gelotology – has been faced with various difficulties. The project aims to investigate how a scientifically disputed finding has become popular. It does so with a cultural/media studies lens and a history of science lens. In its first part, the project looks at instances where laughing was used in therapy since the early 1970s, for example hospital clowns or humor seminars.