A brief review of humor development

Luca Bischetti  
University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia, Italy

Keywords

Humor development, childhood, cognitive development, neuroscience, linguistic development.

Abstract
Humor is a pervasive aspect of human communication, yet its development remains less investigated than other cognitive and linguistic domains. This paper reviews past and current research on humor development from multiple perspectives. It traces the progression from early stage-based cognitive models to recent studies identifying humor precursors in early childhood, alongside evidence from neurodivergent populations. The limited but expanding neuroscientific literature is also examined. Three priority directions for future research, relevant to the Italian context, are identified: cross-linguistic validation of assessment tools, investigation of emerging humor cycles, use of modern paradigms.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Luca Bischetti
Luca Bischetti è ricercatore (RTD/A) presso la Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia, dove lavora nel Laboratorio di Neurolinguistica e Pragmatica Sperimentale (NEPLab). La sua ricerca si colloca tra pragmatica sperimentale, neurolinguistica e linguistica clinica, con particolare attenzione all’elaborazione dell’umorismo e ai deficit pragmatici in diverse popolazioni cliniche. È P.I. del progetto CHICKENS (Comprehending Humor in Infants and Children: Knowledge, Experience, and Neural Substrates), finanziato dal MUR nell’ambito del programma Young Researchers 2024 - SoE. È membro della rete italiana di pragmatica sperimentale (XPRAG.it) e dell'International Society for Humor Studies (ISHS).

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