Research suggests that humor and insight comprehension stimulate the same brain areas. This implies that both require a bit of effort to be fathomed. It comes as no surprise, since humor is a complex form of communication. 

It not only relies on linguistic means but involves other important components, such as perception and context, among others. Listening to grown-up jokes during family get-togethers didn’t seem so funny as a child, did it? While now you’re cracking one-liners about politics together with uncle Tom. This is due to a better understanding you get that comes with experience and knowledge in certain fields.

Research shows that when stated in a humorous way, the message is retained better. In addition to that, according to the same research, humor comprehension in the brain correlates to considering other people’s psychological state.

Also known as mentalization, this ability is crucial in order to use humor as a form of communication or entertainment. Only when you are able to understand others can you begin to understand what might be funny to them.

A detailed analysis of humor and mentalization shows that a joke is best within a certain frame of intentionality. Different levels of intentionality comprise the process of mentalization and account for how well comedy will be understood by the audience. The person telling the joke has to reach a level high enough to be funny, but low enough to be intelligible. That emphasizes another factor when it comes to understanding jokes—knowing your audience.

Research on audience characteristics states that the listener’s tendency to laugh is a great factor when it comes to delivering jokes. People tend to have a rather fixed sense of humor, which helps if you know them well. That is why adjusting your content accordingly might save you from a moment of crickets instead of laughter.

Nevertheless, knowing your audience is not always possible, especially if the jokes are told to the vast public online. Luckily, in instances like that, the receivers can find solace in the helping hand of the internet. The survey about people that laugh without understanding jokes also stated that more than half of the respondents (56%) have had to look up the meaning of a joke to comprehend it.