Who's Funny Now?

Does gender play a role in humor?
Are men and women equally funny? 
Is humor a learned skill or is there an inborn ability that some of us have and some lack?
Do men or women (or both) rate humor as the most desirable trait in a friend or partner?

Such questions go beyond my mere mortal powers but they do make me think about what it is that tickles my funny bone. I'll take the last question first and say I love being around people who are funny (as in 'make me laugh,' not odd; odd has its place, but not in this post). However, I draw the line when humor is the only thing someone shares - it seems borderline clown-ish to me. If I get the feeling a person is using their wit as a block in getting to know them, I eventually move on because unrelenting humor has a shelf life. 

Connecting with people comes first; if humor helps get me there, then I am all in. 

Robin Williams, whose machine gun comedy antics are legendary and put him high atop my list of favorite comedians is a perfect case of someone who publicly shows only 'the funny.' (His "Good Will Hunting" performance does not count. Plus, even though I saw him in concert last year, the chances of my meeting him are so slim that I embrace his "all humor, all the time" shtick.)

However, being amusing is often a cover for something less jocular. The universal icon of the 'comedy/tragedy' mask precisely shows the thin line between a smile and frown.  Funny/Sad shares an emotional tightrope just like Love/Hate. What about humor being a product of gender? Are men or women funnier? A recent study from a postdoctoral researcher in the University of California psychology department, Laura Mickes, decided to look into if one gender is more humorous than the other.  Her reason for investigating this ticklish topic is even more of a curiosity to me but let's first look at what she found as noted in a newspaper article titled "Seriously, Men Only Think They're Funnier." http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/fashion/seriously-men-only-think-theyre-funnier-studied.html

Male and female undergrads were asked to participate in a cartoon caption contest.  "Each was instructed to be as funny as possible coming up with 20 captions for 20 cartoons in - think fast - 45 minutes."  Participants then had to rate their choices for funny captions and score them.  The results showed that, "While men were deemed ever so slightly funnier (0.11 points out of a theoretical possible score of 5.0), they were mostly considered funnier by other men."  Hmmmm. 

Men used profanity and sexual humor more than women, "though neither sex necessarily considered those types of jokes funnier." The profane issue is one I wrestle with because done well, humor that includes profanity can be brilliant and inoffensive (for me, Chris Rock leads the pack). I recall seeing Richard Pryor's 1979 movie "Live In Concert." Anytime he would appear on television, I would enjoy his routine which is why the movie proved to be such a disappointment.  I thought he overused profanity until it smothered whatever point he was trying to make.  He allowed for no lulls and kept cursing with, what I thought, was a purposeless stream of filler. It was obvious and dull. I know he is revered by his fellow comedians, but that movie ruined it for me.

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Subtle humor walks a thin line because it still needs to hit the point, yet "bring the funny." It is so painful to hear someone being too understated with their humor. Their fear of failing to be funny beats their attempt, creating a cringe-worthy moment. I hate taking a spin in that arena.  Two comedians whose inventive observations succeed, in my opinion are Ellen DeGeneres and Jerry Seinfeld. (In sharp contrast, I also am a fan of Chelsea Handler and Kathy Griffin. What can I say? The layers of humor are complex.) 

And this brings me back to the first question - does gender play a role in humor?  The Times article described a second experiment to see if men were given more credit than women for their humor. Rating captions to cartoons, "both sexes misattributed the funny ones to male authors and the unfunny ones to female writers.  Moreover, females were far less confident about their gag-writing abilities than men."  Why is there an expectation that men are funnier than women? 

The answer, according to the Times article, is that men are cockier.  But what made women think the funny captions were written by men? Is there some predisposition to hand over humor to males? I doubt it. In my humble opinion, I think women use humor to diffuse situations and as a tool to relate to others, whereas men use it to draw attention to themselves.

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The Times article alludes to a 2007 Vanity Fair article written by Christopher Hitchens titled "Why Women Aren't Funny."   There are several controversial points made by the author, but one that is gold addresses a biological need. "Why are men, taken on average and as a whole, funnier than women? Well, for one thing, they had damn well better be. The chief task in life that a man has to perform is that of impressing the opposite sex, and Mother Nature (as we laughingly call her) is not so kind to men."  Women, on the other hand, "have no no corresponding need to appeal to men in this way. They already appeal to men."  http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/01/hitchens200701

The dance of attraction for so many species is the same - the male has to come under the good graces of the female.  Our survival literally depends on it.  So, if women find humor a top trait vote getter, you can bet the men put in overtime to hone those skills.

I love the power of humor!

As most parents can attest, young children think we are funny until we aren't i.e. they become teenagers.  I am embarrassed to admit that I have said, "People think I am funny!" as my last impotent defense to an eye rolling teenage daughter.  This brings me back to the reason Dr. MIckes (the author of the University of California study) initiated her study in the first place. Funny enough, it came to mind after she received a teacher evaluation form completed by a male student with the comment that read, "She is not funny."

Crickets.

Here is an excerpt from Rudyard Kipling's poem "The Female of the Species"

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But the Woman that God gave him,
every fibre of her frame
Proves her launched for one sole issue,
armed and engined for the same,
And to serve that single issue,
lest the generations fail,
The female of the species must be
deadlier than the male.

She who faces Death by torture for
each life beneath her breast
May not deal in doubt or pity—must
not swerve for fact or jest.