Laughter - The Best Medicine? Spain Hosts The Most Renowned International Symposium On Sense Of Humor And Its Applications

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Also Included In: Conferences
Article Date: 01 Jul 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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Spain hosts this week, for the first time in history, this event, the most renowned international symposium on humour and laughter, where scientists and experts from four continents will discuss the latest advances and research of this field of study. The ninth occasion of the 'International Summer School and Symposium on Humour and Laughter: Theory, Research and Applications' is being hosted by the University of Granada, and they will analyse the relationship between sense of humour and different fields such as anthropology, sociology, medicine or philosophy.

According to the Professor of the University of Granada Hugo Carretero de Dios, local coordinator of the event, the interest for both research and applications of humour has increased in the last decade. "This is a dimension consubstantial to human beings which has traditionally attracted the attention of researchers of different research fields", says the UGR Professor.

Annual meeting since 2001

Since 2001, the "International Summer School and Symposium on Humour and Laughter" is held every year in a different place of the world; the purpose of the meeting is to update the theoretical-conceptual contents about the sense of humour, and deal with the methodological particularities which must be considered when it comes to working on that field. This event also intends to assure that "those people who are doing research into the field of humour work on up-to-date information and tools with scientific support". The last edition of the International School was held in Rumania.

Hugo Carretero highlights that the meeting consists of theoretical sessions and practical workshops and will put together first-level scientists in the field of laughter study and humour applications such as Willibald Ruch, Christie Davies, Irina Falkenberg or Gil Greengross.

The IX 'International Summer School and Symposium on Humour and Laughter: Theory, Research and Applications' is taking place the 29 June - 4 July at the University of Granada and has been supported by the Mediterranean Centre of the UGR and the Health Department of the Andalusian Council.

Source:
Hugo Carretero Dios
University of Granada