Newsletter: Spring 2026
Welcome to the fourteenth edition of the autism@ICN newsletter! Our new autism database coordinator, Ceci Qing Cai, will be sending out information about the research day in the coming weeks (see ‘Research Day 2026’ for more information).
To hear more about the latest news from autism@ICN, follow us on X.
What do you think?
If you have any comments on the newsletter, for example, what is good about it or what can be improved, please email your feedback to [email protected].
The autism@icn newsletter aims to highlight events related to autism that are taking place (or have taken place). If you have anything you want to include in the next newsletter, please email [email protected].
Research Days 2026
If you are registered on the autism@ICN database, you may receive an email from Ceci, the autism database coordinator, in the next few weeks inviting you to take part in the 2026 autism@ICN Research Days (beginning in April). This will be very similar to research days that have taken place in previous years: participants will come to the ICN for a day of studies and will be reimbursed for their time as well as for their lunch and reasonable travel expenses. More information about the studies that will be included and how long the research day will take will be sent out in the coming months.
If you are interested in participating in the 2026 Research Days and/or you would like to register on the database, you are welcome to email Ceci at [email protected] to express your interest. We look forward to hearing from you!
Latest findings
Does laughter make things seem funnier?
If you have participated over the last few years in one of our research days, you may have taken part in this study!
To hear more about the latest news from autism@ICN, follow us on X.
What do you think?
If you have any comments on the newsletter, for example, what is good about it or what can be improved, please email your feedback to [email protected].
The autism@icn newsletter aims to highlight events related to autism that are taking place (or have taken place). If you have anything you want to include in the next newsletter, please email [email protected].
Research Days 2026
If you are registered on the autism@ICN database, you may receive an email from Ceci, the autism database coordinator, in the next few weeks inviting you to take part in the 2026 autism@ICN Research Days (beginning in April). This will be very similar to research days that have taken place in previous years: participants will come to the ICN for a day of studies and will be reimbursed for their time as well as for their lunch and reasonable travel expenses. More information about the studies that will be included and how long the research day will take will be sent out in the coming months.
If you are interested in participating in the 2026 Research Days and/or you would like to register on the database, you are welcome to email Ceci at [email protected] to express your interest. We look forward to hearing from you!
Latest findings
Does laughter make things seem funnier?
If you have participated over the last few years in one of our research days, you may have taken part in this study!
When we hear other people laugh, it often makes things seem funnier. Laughter tracks used in TV shows, audience laughter at comedy gigs, or friends laughing alongside us can all help to shape how much we may enjoy a joke or funny moment. However, does this work in the same way for everyone?
A recent research study at the ICN explored whether adding laughter automatically made things seem funnier for both autistic and non-autistic adults. The researchers were interested specifically in how people implicitly process laughter, that is, how laughter affects our reactions without us consciously thinking about it.
A recent research study at the ICN explored whether adding laughter automatically made things seem funnier for both autistic and non-autistic adults. The researchers were interested specifically in how people implicitly process laughter, that is, how laughter affects our reactions without us consciously thinking about it.
In the lab:
Participants were invited to listen to or watch short video clips, and rate “How funny is this?” on a scale of 1-7.
There were three types of humour:
Importantly, participants were never told that the study was about laughter, so that we could observe natural reactions rather than deliberate judgements.
What did we find?
For non-autistic adults, adding laughter, especially real and spontaneous laughter, generally made things seem funnier. These effects were strongest for the jokes and burps.
Autistic adults perceived jokes and burps as funnier overall. However, they perceived slapstick comedy as less funny than non-autistic adults. Adding laughter sometimes made things seem funnier, especially when the laughter was real, but this was not always the case. It would appear that laughter did not make things seem more humorous in the same way or to the same degree as for non-autistic adults.
Why is this important?
Autistic people are sometimes wrongly described as lacking humour or being less emotionally responsive, but this research shows that not only do autistic adults enjoy humour, their enjoyment is less shaped by social pressure or group cues, and ultimately reflects more independent, direct engagement with the content.
These findings fit in with broader research suggesting that autism involves differences in social communication, rather than deficits, and that autistic people may prioritise clarity and authenticity via their own first-hand, direct experience over implicit social signals or cues.
Participants were invited to listen to or watch short video clips, and rate “How funny is this?” on a scale of 1-7.
There were three types of humour:
- Spoken jokes
- Funny sounds (like burps)
- Slapstick comedy videos (silent classic film clips like Chaplin or Keaton)
- Without laughter
- With posed (fake) laughter
- With genuine (real) laughter
Importantly, participants were never told that the study was about laughter, so that we could observe natural reactions rather than deliberate judgements.
What did we find?
For non-autistic adults, adding laughter, especially real and spontaneous laughter, generally made things seem funnier. These effects were strongest for the jokes and burps.
Autistic adults perceived jokes and burps as funnier overall. However, they perceived slapstick comedy as less funny than non-autistic adults. Adding laughter sometimes made things seem funnier, especially when the laughter was real, but this was not always the case. It would appear that laughter did not make things seem more humorous in the same way or to the same degree as for non-autistic adults.
Why is this important?
Autistic people are sometimes wrongly described as lacking humour or being less emotionally responsive, but this research shows that not only do autistic adults enjoy humour, their enjoyment is less shaped by social pressure or group cues, and ultimately reflects more independent, direct engagement with the content.
These findings fit in with broader research suggesting that autism involves differences in social communication, rather than deficits, and that autistic people may prioritise clarity and authenticity via their own first-hand, direct experience over implicit social signals or cues.
Spotlight on...
The autism@ICN team is a diverse group of researchers interested in understanding autism. In each newsletter we highlight the role of one of our team members. In this issue, it’s Laina Townsend!
Laina (left) is a dual US/UK citizen who completed her bachelor's degree in the US. She then moved to the UK and did a MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience at Birkbeck, University of London, before starting her PhD supervised by Prof. Antonia Hamilton, Prof. Oliver Robinson, and Dr Sarah White in 2023. She is also currently the lead demonstrator for the MSc Fundamental Statistics course in the Department of Psychology and Language Science.
Laina's research explores social gaze during naturalistic dyadic and triadic conversations between groups of participants with and without anxiety and/or autism. Her PhD project also considers trait measures of anxiety and autism, including 'Autistic Camouflaging'. Neurodivergent herself, Laina is also always accompanied by her assistance dog, Theo (left).
More information about the autism@ICN team.
Events
New autism@ICN research coordinator: Ceci!
We are sad to see James leave the lab, but are excited for him to start a new role within the ICN's Neuroscience and Mental Health Group. We thank him for his hard work!
Ceci (right) will be taking over as our new research coordinator. Some of you might recognise her as she has been part of Sarah White's lab since 2017, first as a PhD student, now as a Senior Research Fellow, and has been conducting autism research with us for many years.
New autism@ICN research coordinator: Ceci!
We are sad to see James leave the lab, but are excited for him to start a new role within the ICN's Neuroscience and Mental Health Group. We thank him for his hard work!
Ceci (right) will be taking over as our new research coordinator. Some of you might recognise her as she has been part of Sarah White's lab since 2017, first as a PhD student, now as a Senior Research Fellow, and has been conducting autism research with us for many years.
Ceci also received the British Psychological Society (BPS) Neil O'Connor Prize in 2025
Congratulations to Dr Ceci Qing Cai, who has been awarded the Neil O'Connor Prize for her publication "Mapping the differential impact of spontaneous and conversational laughter on brain and mind: an fMRI study in autism". This work was part of her doctoral research and reflects her current research interests: how laughter (and other emotions) shapes communication in everyday life.
The Neil O'Connor Prize is awarded to early-career researchers for an excellent piece of published research on cognitive conditions that appear during development and persist throughout life. This prize is awarded through the Developmental Section of the BPS. Find out more about this exciting news: Neil O'Connor Prize.
Read Ceci's prize-winning paper: Ceci Qing Cai, Nadine Lavan, Sinead H Y Chen, Claire Z X Wang, Ozan Cem Ozturk, Roni Man Ying Chiu, Sam J Gilbert, Sarah J White, Sophie K Scott. (2024). Mapping the differential impact of spontaneous and conversational laughter on brain and mind: an fMRI study in autism, Cerebral Cortex, Volume 34, Issue 5, bhae199.
Visiting PhD student: Sara Alfia Nicotra
Sara (right) is a Speech and Language Therapist and a PhD candidate in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Messina (Sicily, Italy). Her research investigates the role of social and sensory salience in the development of language abilities in autistic people. She aims to bridge neurocognitive research and clinical practice to inform evidence-based support and promote communication, social inclusion and quality of life for autistic children and their families.
Since February 2026, Sara has begun a research period at the ICN, within the Developmental Diversity Lab led by Dr Sarah White.
She is particularly enthusiastic about this opportunity to engage in an international research environment that promotes interdisciplinary exchange and offers innovative perspectives for advancing the study of neurocognitive mechanisms in neurodiversity.
We are excited to have Sara with us. If you are around over the summer research days, you might meet her!
Sara (right) is a Speech and Language Therapist and a PhD candidate in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Messina (Sicily, Italy). Her research investigates the role of social and sensory salience in the development of language abilities in autistic people. She aims to bridge neurocognitive research and clinical practice to inform evidence-based support and promote communication, social inclusion and quality of life for autistic children and their families.
Since February 2026, Sara has begun a research period at the ICN, within the Developmental Diversity Lab led by Dr Sarah White.
She is particularly enthusiastic about this opportunity to engage in an international research environment that promotes interdisciplinary exchange and offers innovative perspectives for advancing the study of neurocognitive mechanisms in neurodiversity.
We are excited to have Sara with us. If you are around over the summer research days, you might meet her!
Publication highlight
If you were here a couple years ago, this study may be familiar!
Sharing and giving to others is important for our social relationships. In general, people usually share more with those they are close to, like friends and family, and less with strangers. This study looked at whether there were any differences in sharing behaviour between autistic and non-autistic adults when deciding how to share money with socially distant people. Social distance refers to how emotionally close you feel to someone.
During this task, researchers asked participants to divide a set amount of money between themselves and someone else - a friend (emotionally close) or a stranger (emotionally distant). The researchers found that while both autistic and non-autistic people gave similar amounts to people close to them, autistic adults tended to give more to people who they didn't know as well, such as strangers.
Importantly, this was not because autistic adults repeated the same choices nor was it related to differing attitudes about money. Instead, the researchers suggest that autistic people could be more generous due to more objective thinking - via this, they may demonstrate greater valuing and prioritising of fairness in their choices and behaviour.
These findings are important because, while autistic people may often face challenges navigating their social worlds, autism, as demonstrated here, is also actually associated with greater prosocial behaviour, especially with others outside of their social circle.
These tendencies could have useful practical applications in everyday contexts such as employment - an area in which autistic people are significantly underrepresented - as well as in other contexts, relationships or situations for which honesty, integrity and objectivity would be welcomed as valuable characteristics.
Citation:
Forbes PA, Hughes G, Schilbach L, White S, & Kalenscher T (2026). Increased prosocial value orientation in autistic adults. Autism, 30(2), 538-543.
View complete list of publications from the autism@ICN group.
Thank you for your continued support of our research! Please get in touch if you have any further thoughts or suggestions.
If you were here a couple years ago, this study may be familiar!
Sharing and giving to others is important for our social relationships. In general, people usually share more with those they are close to, like friends and family, and less with strangers. This study looked at whether there were any differences in sharing behaviour between autistic and non-autistic adults when deciding how to share money with socially distant people. Social distance refers to how emotionally close you feel to someone.
During this task, researchers asked participants to divide a set amount of money between themselves and someone else - a friend (emotionally close) or a stranger (emotionally distant). The researchers found that while both autistic and non-autistic people gave similar amounts to people close to them, autistic adults tended to give more to people who they didn't know as well, such as strangers.
Importantly, this was not because autistic adults repeated the same choices nor was it related to differing attitudes about money. Instead, the researchers suggest that autistic people could be more generous due to more objective thinking - via this, they may demonstrate greater valuing and prioritising of fairness in their choices and behaviour.
These findings are important because, while autistic people may often face challenges navigating their social worlds, autism, as demonstrated here, is also actually associated with greater prosocial behaviour, especially with others outside of their social circle.
These tendencies could have useful practical applications in everyday contexts such as employment - an area in which autistic people are significantly underrepresented - as well as in other contexts, relationships or situations for which honesty, integrity and objectivity would be welcomed as valuable characteristics.
Citation:
Forbes PA, Hughes G, Schilbach L, White S, & Kalenscher T (2026). Increased prosocial value orientation in autistic adults. Autism, 30(2), 538-543.
View complete list of publications from the autism@ICN group.
Thank you for your continued support of our research! Please get in touch if you have any further thoughts or suggestions.
