21:00

Ep. 03 Jul 12, 2025

Humour and Irony

In this episode, Laura and Luisa explain to Keno why people might not laugh at his jokes and why people are studying the definitely really interesting topic of irony. Here are the sources that we mention over the course of the episode  The papers in alphabetical order: Campbell, Wallace, Modirrousta, Polimeni, McKeen, & Reiss, 2015. The neural basis of humour comprehension and humour appreciation: The role of the temporoparietal junction and superior frontal gyrus. Neuropsychologia, 79, 10-20. Canal, Bischetti, Di Paola, Bertini, Ricci, & Bambini, 2019. ‘Honey, shall I change the baby? - Well done, choose another one’: ERP and time-frequency correlates of humor processing. Brain and Cognition, 132. Spotorno, Cheylus, Van Der Henst, & Noveck, 2013. What’s behind a P600? Integration Operations during Irony Processing. PLOS One, 8(6). The books: Attardo, 2020. The General Theory of Verbal Humor. In: The Linguistics of Humor: An Introduction, 136-156 For the superiority theory and the release theory, as well as the dog-blender joke (page 93): Carr, Greeves, 2006. Nuts, Bolts and Hydraulic Brains. In: The Naked Jape, 85-104. Penguin Books The definition of irony: Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Irony. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved November 25, 2024, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irony

17:56

Ep. 02 Jul 12, 2025

Literature and Poetry in the Brain

In this episode, Cordula, Max, Mitra and Sonja talk about ways to measure what happens in the brain during a literary reading experience as well as poetry writing.

21:38

Ep. 01 Jul 12, 2025

Theory of Mind & Neuropragmatics

Have you ever wondered how we understand what others are thinking, even when they don’t say it outright? In this episode, Ainhoa, Betti, Isaac and T. and dive into Theory of Mind (ToM)—the ability to recognize that others have beliefs, emotions, and perspectives different from our own. We explore how researchers study this fascinating cognitive skill, how it connects to language, and how the cutting-edge field of Neuropragmatics helps us uncover the brain’s role in real-world communication. Do language and culture shape how we read minds? Is language necessary to understand others’ thoughts? How do we decode hidden meanings in conversation? We’ll explore these intriguing questions and more, breaking down how our brains interpret indirect speech and conversational implicatures. Through the lens of neuroscience, psychology, and linguistics, this episode reveals that mind-reading isn’t just for psychics—it’s a natural part of how our brains work! Tune in to discover how ToM shapes human interaction and why understanding others is both a science and an art.