Austrian researchers have discovered that people who enjoy black humor are often more intelligent and happier than others. While everyone enjoys a good laugh, not everyone finds the same things funny. Black humor, which makes light of serious topics such as illness, war, and death, is not well-received by many people. But what sets apart those who love black humor from those who don’t? This question has been answered by Professor Dr. Ulrike Willinger and her colleagues from the Medical University of Vienna.
Contrary to popular belief, people who can laugh at black humor are not abnormal or even sick. In fact, they are often more psychologically normal than those who cannot appreciate this type of humor. For their study on black humor, the researchers selected 156 participants with an average age of 33, consisting of 76 women and 80 men. The participants were asked questions about their education level, mood, and aggressive tendencies. In addition, various tests were used to determine the verbal and nonverbal IQ of the participants.
The researchers used the black book of the well-known comic artist Uli Stein as the basis for their research. The participants were asked to evaluate their understanding and enjoyment of these comics. Using a cluster analysis, Willinger and her colleagues were able to identify different groups of participants. Surprisingly, the group with a low preference for black humor reported a strong negative mood and increased aggression. This group also scored average on the IQ tests. On the other hand, the group that reported loving black humor showed no aggressive potential, a good mood, and high verbal and nonverbal intelligence. According to the researchers, age and gender had no impact on the results, but education level did. People with a higher education level tended to enjoy macabre jokes more often.
