Prof Wiseman: “My (Failed) Search for the World's Funniest Joke”

About this episode

Professor Richard Wiseman discusses his unexpected findings in the search for the world's funniest joke.

Professor Richard Wiseman searched for the world’s funniest joke. He found it. But it wasn’t what he expected. --- Richard’s book Quirkology: https://amzn.to/4shYOJ6 Richard’s book 59 Seconds: https://amzn.to/3Pf9pWI Richard’s SubStack: https://richardwiseman.substack.com/ Join 11,934 readers of the Nudge Newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Unlock the Nudge Vaults: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/ --- Today’s sources: Asch, S. E. (1955). Opinions and social pressure. Scientific American, 193(5), 31–35. Crum, A. J., & Langer, E. J. (2007). Mind-set matters: Exercise and the placebo effect. Psychological Science, 18, 165–171. Wiseman, R. (2009). 59 seconds: Think a little, change a lot. Knopf. Wolff, H. A., Smith, C. E., & Murray, H. A. (1934). The psychology of humor: I. A study of responses to race-disparagement jokes. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 28, 345–365.

People in this episode

Host: Phill Agnew

Guest: Professor Richard Wiseman

Topics covered

• humor
• psychology
• jokes
• research
• social pressure

Keywords

• funniest joke
• humor research
• psychology of humor
• Quirkology
• 59 Seconds

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Nudge Newsletter, Nudge Vaults

Books & works: Quirkology, 59 Seconds

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