Researchers link sense of humour to illness

Developing a more twisted sense of humour could be an early warning sign for dementia.

A study by University College London found that friends and family of patients noticed such a change at least nine years before the start of more typical dementia symptoms.

The team found that people with a type of frontotemporal dementia, the most common form of the disease in the under-55s – had an 'altered sense of humour' compared to healthy individuals.

This included laughing inappropriately at events others would not find funny 'such as a badly parked car or barking dog' or tragic events on the news or in their personal life. The same did not happen in people with Alzheimer’s.

The researchers found that people with both types of dementia tended to prefer slapstick humour to satirical and absurdist humour when compared with healthy people.

They say their findings could help improve diagnosis by highlighting changes not commonly thought to be linked to the condition.

Dr Camilla Clark, who led the research said: 'As sense of humour defines us and is used to build relationships with those around us, changes in what we find funny has impacts far beyond picking a new favourite TV show.

'We’ve highlighted the need to shift the emphasis from dementia being solely about memory loss. These findings have implications for diagnosis – not only should personality and behaviour changes ring alarm bells, but clinicians themselves need to be more aware of these symptoms as an early sign of dementia.

'As well as providing clues to underlying brain changes, subtle differences in what we find funny could help differentiate between the different diseases that cause dementia.

'Humour could be a particularly sensitive way of detecting dementia because it puts demands on so many different aspects of brain function, such as puzzle solving, emotion and social awareness.'

Dr Simon Ridley, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, added: 'While memory loss is often the first thing that springs to mind when we hear the word dementia, this study highlights the importance of looking at the myriad different symptoms that impact on daily life and relationships.

'We need to see larger studies, following people for extended periods of time, to understand how and when changes in humour could act as a red flag for underlying brain changes.'

Using a series of questionnaires, the research team asked friends and relatives of 48 people with different forms of frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s to rate their loved one’s liking for different kinds of comedy. This included slapstick comedy such as Mr Bean, satirical comedy such as Yes, Minister or absurdist comedy such as Monty Python.

The researchers also asked those completing the questionnaire to say whether they had noticed instances of inappropriate humour and to reflect on the past 15 years – well before any of the study volunteers received a diagnosis – to identify any shifts in preference.

The study was funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK, the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council (MRC) and NIHR Queen Square Dementia Biomedical Research Unit.

Published: 10 Nov 2015