MedWire News: People with schizophrenia are less able to recognise humour than their mentally healthy counterparts, researchers have found.

However, when schizophrenia patients do recognise humour, they are able to appreciate it just as much as those without the condition.

"Humour is an important part of daily life. It brings with it pleasure and enjoyment. Having a good sense of humour is considered a positive social trait that facilitates social interaction and bonding," explain lead researcher Dr D Tsoi and colleagues from the University of Sheffield in the UK.

But they add that the recognition and appreciation of humour is reliant on certain mental skills, which are often impaired in people with schizophrenia and other mental health disorders.

To investigate the ability of schizophrenia patients to detect and appreciate humour, the team studied 30 patients with the mental health disorder, aged between 23 and 59 years, and 30 mentally healthy volunteers of similar age and cultural background.

All the participants were asked to view four silent slapstick comedy film clips, to identify humorous moments within the clips and to rate such moments on a 'funniness' scale.

Analysis revealed no significant difference in the total number of 'humorous moments' recognised by the schizophrenia patients and the other volunteers. However, schizophrenia patients recognised significantly fewer 'standard humorous moments' than those without the condition.

The researchers also found that schizophrenia patients with severe delusions and hallucinations were less able to recognise standard humorous moments than those with less severe symptoms.

Regarding humour appreciation, the team found that when schizophrenia patients did recognise standard humorous moments within the film clips, their responses on the 'funniness scale' were just the same as those of the other participants.

Dr Tsoi and team conclude: "Compared with [mentally healthy people], patients with schizophrenia were less sensitive at detecting humour but similarly able to appreciate humour."

They add that schizophrenia patients' reduced ability to recognise humour may result from impairments in 'executive function', such as the ability to plan, focus attention, prioritise and organise, and may contribute to their reduced ability to function in social situations.

The research is published in the journal Psychological Medicine.