Dr. Vida Stout

But humor can kind of serve the same purpose.

So yeah, it'll make your talks more memorable and then more likable too, right?

Like, so if you're teaching in class, your students will be more invested in you if they enjoy coming to class and they like your humor and your sense of, you know.

Well, I think my biggest thing that I'm realizing post-paper is why were these jokes unsuccessful?

I think it's actually a signaling issue, not a joke quality issue.

I think it's the fact that we're not telling our audience with our various body signals and pauses, it is time to laugh now, right?

We're blowing past the joke.

I was just collecting more data at a conference this week, and that's what I'm seeing.

Right.

It's like jokes could land more if we gave them the space to land, even in these audiences that aren't even expecting to laugh.

Because, yes, you're fighting against that, too.

Right.

The norms of the space.

But I think it's about more about signaling than about the joke quality, because in general, we're desperate to laugh.