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Don’t you laugh at the same jokes as your partner? This is completely normal, researchers say. Differences in humor should be noted between the two sexes. Explanations.
While some are partial to absurd jokes, others prefer dark humor. It’s a fact: we don’t all have the same relationship with humor… and genre has a lot of influence! At least these are the new conclusions of a study, published in the journal “Gruyter Humor”.
“Gender” differences in jokes
For this study, 3,380 people attending an exhibition of drawings made by well-known caricaturists and distributed at the “Cartoon Museum” in London were observed.
More precisely, the researchers placed a vintage of these drawings dating from 1930 to 2010 – and notably containing punchlines – in front of the participants; who then had to judge which joke was funniest.
Their responses were analyzed according to the content and date of publication of the drawings, but also the age and gender of the candidates.
Result ? Both men and women appreciated visual jokes that used puns or those that explored the complexities of romantic relationships.
However, some slight differences were noted between the two sexes, with women preferring jokes about everyday situations and jokes that involve political commentary, while men preferred situational humor (practiced notably by Gad Elmaleh and Florence Foresti ) and visual.
According to the authors, this finding could reflect the way men and women manage their relationships.
“These differences in humorous sensitivity arise from differences in the social habits of the two sexes“, explains Professor Dunbar. “This explanation has been overlooked previously because psychologists and others have focused on IQ type differences, which are minimal.”
Good in his body, good in his head!
Humor: what daily benefits?
According to numerous scientific studies, humor could reduce feelings of pain, boost the immune system, improve cognitive functions, prevent cardiovascular diseases, relieve stress… Without forgetting the “social” role of laughter, which allows you to facilitate relationships with others and integrate into a group.
Humor is also widely used during psychotherapy – laughing could in fact reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Slide: Readings to understand parenthood with humor