Why Do We Love Funny Memes So Much?

Meme culture today has become a totally different animal. In fact, Helen Brown accurately points out that memes have gone beyond being a mere source of light entertainment in her 2022 BBC feature titled “The surprising power of internet memes (1).”

Here are the key reasons this may be happening.

1. Memes may ease tension. Many memes tackle sensitive topics in a satirical, ironic, or humorous way, prompting us to laugh. Because humor can break the ice, it allows people to address matters in a more lighthearted way.
2. Memes force you to think. A 2015 research by the University of Westminister reveals that aside from the obvious visibility and transmission, a meme’s additional superpower is its mental application in provoking thought (2). More specifically, several brain regions are utilized while processing a joke, including the left hemisphere, frontal lobe, and occipital lobe, says Linda Wilson-Barlow, a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Texas Tech University (3). So, to comprehend why a meme, video, or picture is supposed to be funny, we have to utilize a significant portion of our cognitive perception.
3. Sending out funny memes makes you a good friend. In busy times, building and sustaining connections can be challenging. Memes can bridge this ever-increasing gap, says Dr Mary Kempnich, a psychologist at Oxford University, in an Instagram post on June 22, 2023, on the @oxford_uni channel (4). According to Kempnich, sending a meme shows that you know your friend well, and it’s a powerful way to bond online.

Laughter Makes for Good Exercise

In a 2006 study, Sophie Scott, a neuroscientist at University College London, found that hearing laughter triggers our facial muscles to prepare for joining in (5). Essentially, when we witness laughter, our bodies are wired to follow suit. 

According to the Britannica encyclopedia, approximately 15 facial muscles are activated when we laugh (6). Professionals in gelotology, the study of laughter’s physiological effects (yes, such a branch of medicine exists!), compare laughing to aerobic exercise, as it involves the contraction and relaxation of various muscles, easing tension and spasms that can cause chronic pain.

Therefore, sharing those hilarious memes with your friends is like getting a workout because you’re using your muscles in similar ways. It’s a win-win situation.

References

1. Helen Brow. “The surprising power of internet memes.” BBC, September 29, 2022. | https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220928-the-surprising-power-of-internet-memes
2.  Linda Wilson-Barlow, MA. “The Physiological Effects of Laughter.” National Register Of Health Psychology Experts - Findpsychologist.com, 2015. | https://www.findapsychologist.org/the-physiological-effects-of-laughter-by-lindsay-wilson-barlow/
3. EPQ team and Anastasia Denisova of the Communication and Media Research Institute. “Knowing meme knowing you - How memes influence our society.” University of Westminster, 2019. | https://www.westminster.ac.uk/sites/default/public-files/general-documents/epq-knowing-meme-knowing-you.pdf
4. @oxford_uni. “Yes, you should send memes to your friends!” Instagram, June 22, 2023. | https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtzHj88N9OC/?igsh=MTY4bnppdmE1MjhvNQ%3D%3D
5. Jane E. Warren, Disa A. Sauter, Frank Eisner, Jade Wiland, M. Alexander Dresner, Richard J. S. Wise, Stuart Rosen and Sophie K. Scott. “Positive Emotions Preferentially Engage an Auditory–Motor ‘Mirror’ System.” The Journal Of Neuroscience, December 13, 2006. | https://www.jneurosci.org/content/26/50/13067
6. Arthur Koestler. “humor.” Britannica, July 8, 2024. | https://www.britannica.com/topic/humor#ref126128