#777 Gil Greengross: The (Evolutionary) Psychology of Humor, Laughter, and Comedians
RECORDED ON JANUARY 13th 2022.
Dr. Gil Greengross is a Lecturer in Psychology at Aberystwyth University. He is an evolutionary psychologist, studying the evolutionary roots of everyday behaviors and emotions. His main area of research focuses on the evolution of humor and laughter, what makes people laugh, and how humor is used in mating and mate choice. He also has a strong interest in studying people with extreme creative abilities, such as stand-up comedians, magicians, and other artists.
In this episode, we talk about the evolutionary psychology of humor. We start by discussing what humor is. We talk about humor as a product of evolution, and its signaling functions. We go through the correlation between humor and intelligence, and personality traits. We get into the different humor styles, and what explains people’s preferences for one or the other. We discuss how humor is contextual, and why it is normal to sometimes feel offended. We talk about the psychological traits of professional comedians, and stereotypes people have about them. We talk about how people rate their own attempts at humor, and how humor appreciation changes across the lifespan. Finally, we discuss sex differences in humor production and appreciation, and the different possible explanations for them.
Time Links:
Intro
What is humor?
Humor as a product of evolution
The signaling functions of humor
The correlation between humor and intelligence
Personality traits associated with higher humor production ability
Humor styles
What explains preferred humor styles?
Humor is contextual, and it’s normal to sometimes feel offended
The psychological traits of professional comedians
How people rate their own attempts at humor
Do older people appreciate humor differently? Are there trends across the lifespan?
Sex differences in humor production and appreciation: are they evolved or cultural?
Follow Dr. Greengross’ work!
Follow Dr. Greengross’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3eu8ob9
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/3RGlFLL
Twitter handle: @Giligg