Collection Overview 

Scientific Reports has launched a Guest-Edited Collection on Humour, laughter, and psychological wellbeing. 

Humour and laughter enhance our mood, reduce stress, and can also strengthen social relationships. Therefore, they have a positive impact on our mental health, psychological and social well-being. Despite their importance for life satisfaction and happiness, empirical research on humour and laughter is relatively scarce, limiting their use as therapeutic tools in psychological interventions.

This will be a Collection of original research papers  and will be open for submissions from all authors – on the condition that the manuscripts fall within the scope of the Collection and of Scientific Reports more generally. We are welcoming submissions until 22nd April 2026.

Why is this Collection important?

"From my perspective, the study of humour, laughter, and psychological wellbeing bridges basic affective science and practical mental-health intervention, revealing how everyday social signalling influences resilience, stress regulation, and recovery. This topic matters because humour is universal, low-cost, and scalable—promising accessible tools for prevention and therapy across cultures. I am excited about this collection because it invites interdisciplinary methods (experimental, clinical, cultural) and translational work. Its impact could reshape interventions, measurement, and policy by legitimizing humour-based approaches. Researchers should submit here to reach a focused, high-quality forum that values innovation and real-world application."

- Dr. Elkin Luis García, Guest Editor

Why submit to a collection?  

Collections like this one help promote high-quality science. They are led by Guest Editors, who are experts in their fields, and In-House Editors and are supported by a dedicated team of Commissioning Editors and Managing Editors at Springer Nature. Collection manuscripts typically see higher citations, downloads, and Altmetric scores and provide a one-stop-shop on a cutting-edge topic of interest.  

Who is involved?

Guest Editors:

• Elkin O. Luis García, University of Navarra, Spain
• Jiajin Tong, Peking University, China
• Yuen Hang Ng, Chinese University of Hong Kong, China

Internal Team:

• In-House Editor: Betty Mousikou, Scientific Reports, UK
• Commissioning Editor: Stuart Weir, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK
• Managing Editor: Rebecca Chan, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK

How can I submit my paper?

Visit the Collection page for more information on the Collection, and how to submit your article.