Positive emotional contagion and neural autonomic resonance: from laughter paradigms to clinical insights

This doctoral thesis investigates how emotions are shared between people, focusing on positive emotional contagion (PEC) as a mechanism that promotes social connection and well-being. The research combines behavioural, physiological, and clinical approaches to explore how positive emotions are perceived and transmitted in both healthy individuals and stroke patients. The first chapter presents a review of the existing literature, showing that while emotional contagion has been widely studied for negative emotions, the positive dimension remains underexplored. The second chapter validates new Colour Analogue Scales for emotion and pain, demonstrating high reliability and practical efficiency in assessing affective states. The third chapter presents five studies examining empathic responses to emotional videos, revealing that both young and older adults recognise emotions accurately, with small age-related differences and subtle effects of laughter on positive resonance. The final chapter reports three clinical cases that bridge experimental research and clinical practice in neurorehabilitation. Together, these studies highlight the importance of positive emotional processes and their potential to support residual functional resources after brain injury. The thesis reflects a scientific journey moving from established theories to new perspectives for future research.