Humour doesn’t often age well. But some comedy can adapt to changing social mores.
Articles on Humour
Displaying 81 - 100 of 116 articles
The best cracker jokes make us groan as much as laugh – and that’s deliberate.
In our pursuit of a world that is safely and entirely OK, must humour be cleansed of its original sin of cultural appropriation and insensitivity? It depends whether we are ‘laughing up’ or ‘laughing down’.
A president who apparently never laughs, Trump inspires mockery on an unprecedented scale.
Ig Nobels reward research that first makes you laugh and then makes you think. Investigating the internet meme of fluid felines fits the bill – and adds to the physics field of rheology.
American comedian Larry David has drawn fire for his jokes about the Holocaust. But he draws on a long tradition of Jewish humour.
Research shows that funny people are also nicer to be around.
Rape jokes are among the most controversial that comedians can tell, but a Concordia professor says laughing at the absurdity of a world that silences survivors is also an act of support and solidarity.
From Obama to street protests, humour is being used to make some very serious points.
Have you heard the one about the Victorian sense of humour?
CC BY-ND26.5 MB (download)
In this episode of the podcast, we take in the history of Victorian humour, why kids find poo so hilarious and whether academics should try and be funny.
Traditional humour is being pushed off UK screens in favour of ‘edgy’ comedy.
A recent study uncovered the words that people find the funniest. But humour differs between men and women in surprising ways.
You may think a rape joke is harmless but research shows that it can have serious consequences.
There are ways to pin down what a country laughs at – including who they like to make fun of.
It turns out that children as young as three can actually understand some forms of irony.
John’s conversations were full of hysterical laughter, and he had a way asking questions that drew extraordinary answers.
Still going strong in its 30th year, The Simpsons follows a strict animation style guide based on Matt Groening’s own rules, and has much to teach young animators
John Clarke gave voice to a brilliant Antipodean acerbity that has always seemed a little old-fashioned in its moral and tonal dignity. His was a magnificent achievement of focused, pitch-perfect satire.
Does your child use self-defeating humour? Researchers have found it can be linked to depression.
Top contributors
-
Professor of English, Flinders University
-
Lecturer in Creative Writing, Flinders University
-
Lecturer in Psychology, Aberystwyth University
-
Senior Lecturer in History, Edge Hill University
-
Professor of Film Studies, Bangor University
-
Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Creative Arts Research Institute - Griffith University, Griffith University
-
Professor and Chair, Department of Journalism, Stellenbosch University
-
Professor in Professional Education and Leadership, School of Social Sciences, University of Stirling., University of Stirling
-
Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology & Psychopathology, University of Leeds
-
Lecturer in Sociology, Cardiff University
-
PhD Candidate, University of Leeds; Independent Social Research Foundation
-
Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Edith Cowan University
-
Kidman Chair in Australian Studies and Director, JM Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice, Adelaide University
-
Lecturer in Journalism, Swansea University
-
Lecturer, College of Business and Law, RMIT University