The joke may be on academics, philosophers, and other intellectuals. The smartest people may be comedians and clowns. Or they can be both scholar and jokester. Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking are examples of geniuses who also had a quick-witted sense of humor. Studies are finding that this isn’t a coincidence, and they are linking booksmarts with comedic intelligence. Furthermore, some research shows that black humor in particular can coincide with high intelligence.
What defines intelligence?
What makes people intelligent? Psychologists maintain a long-standing debate on the definition. Most people are aware that there are different types of wisdom, and they differentiate between them using terms like “street smarts,” “book smarts,” and “common sense.” The most well-known measurement of intelligence is the IQ test, which focuses on reasoning and academic performance; it does not look for other talents, such as creativity, emotional intelligence, memory, and humor. This limited scope is one of the main criticisms of the IQ test. So, although IQ tests can predict cognitive strengths and academic performance, they’re not the “be all and end all” definition of intelligence.
One famous counter theory to intelligence quotients is Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. He had proposed nine types of intelligence, namely linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential. Gardner’s theory has its own plethora of critics, citing the lack of empirical evidence, inclusion of talents and learning styles as “intelligences”, and refusal to acknowledge common overlaps among the listed abilities. However, the idea that there are different types of intelligences is widely accepted among experts in this field, as outlined in this 2023 study.
The intelligence behind the humor
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Therefore, people with high IQ scores can be considered geniuses despite weaknesses in other areas such as emotional or social intelligence. On the flip side, people with average or lower scores can be considered smart in other ways. And yet, research is finding that people with a good sense of humor have high IQ results in addition to other smarts, such as social, emotional, and creative intelligence.
An audience can observe these qualities when watching a good comedy show. Stand-up comedians may rehearse jokes, but they also need to play off the energy of the crowd. For instance, they may linger on a gag the audience seems to enjoy, and skim over joke topics they don’t seem to react to. They also need to be quick-witted, creative, courteous, and mentally agile, especially if they are doing crowd-work. They have to incorporate what people say into their routine, no matter how outlandish, controversial, or potentially mood-killing. Memory can also play a big role in a routine, as many comedians get big laughs from perfectly-timed callback jokes. Similar creative, emotional, memory, and social skills are needed for comedic actors who need to utilize timing, facial expressions, physical movements, impressions, vocal inflections, analysis, observation, and so on.
The science of IQ and humor
Many studies have delved into this unexpected overlap of intelligence and humor. A 2011 study asked 400 psychology students to test their abstract reasoning ability and verbal intelligence before writing captions for a set of three cartoons. The captions that were rated the funniest were written by students with higher intelligence scores. A follow-up study compared the cartoon captions of 31 professional stand-up comedians to the aforementioned 400 students. The trial found that the comedians scored notably higher on verbal intelligence, wrote more captions, and produced funnier captions.
In 2005, The Times UK organized a formal Mensa test for 12 comedians, including Natalie Haynes, Rob Deering, and Stewart Lee. The results showed the participants were notably smarter than the average IQ of 85 to 115. In fact, four were automatically invited to join Mensa, whose members must have an IQ of 130 or over. Three became borderline candidates who may gain membership after a second test.
Caroline Garbatt, a spokeswoman for Mensa, told The Times that comedy writing could be a method to heighten intellect. “Comedians are exercising their brains on a daily basis,” she said. “They are not doing mundane, repetitive activities. The way they look at the world and find ways to make everything amusing requires intelligence. You only have to look at David Baddiel and the That Was the Week That Was team to see that comedy is full of intelligent people.”
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The smartest type of humor
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It’s worth noting that not all humor is equal. In 2003, Rod A. Martin and his colleagues introduced the Humor Styles Questionnaire that became the basis of modern humor research. They theorized that there is a positive humor style and a negative humor style. The positive style involves self-enhancing and affiliative humor. This can look like joking around to ease a tense situation or foster social connections. Research has found this style to be a healthy outlet for stress and adversity.
A 2017 study indicates that people with black humor tend to have a more intelligence, higher education levels, and less aggression and mood disturbances. This is not necessarily because dark jokes can only be understood by geniuses. Rather, the association may be due to how humor is used as a healthy coping mechanism. In fact, it’s a sign of emotional resilience. People can use it to navigate challenges, even though it’s mentally difficult to see the absurdity in bleak situations. Plus, people need to have self-confidence to laugh at themselves without putting themselves down. Meanwhile, the negative style involving aggressive and self-defeating humor can be detrimental. It can alienate people, and it’s associated with ridicule, sarcasm, aggression and downcast moods.
If you’re not sure which humor style you have, notice what makes you laugh throughout the day. And notice how often you laugh. If it’s too infrequent, practice looking for humor in mundane situations. Sometimes it helps to practice gratitude first, since it’s easier to appreciate absurdity when you’re overall more satisfied with life. Engage in media that models the type of humor you’d like to have. Believe it or not, people can train and improve their sense of humor, and the same goes for their intelligence levels.
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