Three separate groups
Dark jokes present morbid, upsetting subjects using humorous words or images.
A group of Austrian researchers asked 156 participants to rate cartoons based on black humor as well as take an IQ test.
After analyzing the data, the researchers found that the participants fell into 3 different groups:
More highly educated and more intelligent
The first group found dark humor moderately funny, and were of average intelligence.
The second group did not particularly enjoy dark humor, and were of average intelligence as well.
The third group found dark humor hilarious. These participants also scored highly on intelligence tests, and they turned out to be more highly educated than the other groups.
An easier time understanding jokes
According to the researchers, smarter people are quicker at understanding the context and meaning of a joke.
To find something funny, you need to understand why a word or idea is inappropriate or absurd, and how it violates your expectations. Basically, it’s all about problem-solving applied to words and the joke teller’s intent, and more intelligent people have a head start in that department.
Do you find “forbidden” jokes funny? Then congratulations!
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