Type: Paper What’s SO Bloody Funny?

It is often said that the shared laughter is the shortest distance between two people. If you start paying attention, you will undoubtedly recognize humor as one of the main ingredients in our social connectedness to others. The perspective of Theory of Mind constructs can inform our understanding of humor and why this facet of social relatedness can be so troubling for Asperger Syndrome (AS) individuals. Let me begin by describing a bit about Theory of Mind (ToM). ToM concepts were initially developed by Premack & Woodruff in 1978. The concepts refer to the mental events that allow us to effectively explain and predict others ’ behavior and are thought to involve the executive functioning (EF) abilities of the brain. EF skills enable a person to shift attention flexibly, inhibit impulsivity and solve problems in a planful, systematic way. Central coherence theory is also seen as related to ToM constructs by stating that all human beings want to give information context, gestalt and meaning. An interesting difference is noted with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children, where they can identify familiar faces as well from parts as from the whole gestalt, suggesting that Central Coherence and ToM processes may work somewhat independently in AS