There’s nothing like a well-timed joke to set the mood. Jokes can help ease tension in a conversation, make people feel more comfortable and engaged, and can even make you seem more trustworthy. Humor is something comedians and politicians alike have been using to connect with and captivate their audiences.
However, this technique has not often been used by scientists and science communicators for fear that the audience will not take the scientific information seriously, leading some to have a disinterest or a distrust in science.
A research team from the Grady College of Mass Communication at the University of Georgia wanted to see how adding humor to science communication would change an audience's view of the information, in a study published in the Journal of Scientific Communication. Turns out, the proof is in the punch line.
