Humor - As described by gender

Rye

Is there a different brand of humor between males and females? I would argue that the truly funny comedians are funny to men AND women, but in saying that, am I admitting that men and women have different senses of humor?

My girlfriend says to me,"Guys always think they're funnier than they really are." To which I say, "Maybe you don't know how not-funny we know we are."

I could not be a stand up comedian. I couldn't be the life of the party. I CAN entertain a small group of people with a funny story or a joke, should one come my way. I can play along with other joke tellers and add to their funny stories by asking funny questions. Now, at the same time, I know girls who are the same way. I also know girls who have no concept of how unfunny they are and yet still try to make jokes, ending in crickets.

So really, is the statement mostly true? I know there are exceptions, but I would say that less than a majority of guys think they are funnier than they are. Humor is something guys seem more self conscious about - "If you can make her laugh, you're golden." I think they would be more self aware of how funny or unfunny they are. Not any more or less than girls is my vote.

Thoughts? Sorry if this is simply a dumb topic or already beaten to death. I'm not asking who is better, but rather if there is a definitive difference between male and female humor.

Cantido

I couldn't finish Good Luck Chuck. Most excellent titties with no comedy. As Krusty would say, "Comedy ain't funny anymore."

Feral

I remember reading a study some time ago that showed that women are more likely to use self-deprecating humor than men. That shouldn't be entirely surprising, as women with low self-esteem tend to be more inwardly focused than men with low self-esteem, so it stands to reason that women would put themselves down more in an effort to be funny whereas men would put down other people more. (This is not to say that self-deprecating humor is always the result of low self-esteem, just that men and women deal with self-perception differently.)

I'll have to see if I can dredge that study up.

In my completely anecdotal experience, women tend to like wordplay more than men and I've also found that men are in general funnier. Yeah, it's a generalization, and one based entirely off of personal experience and therefore is likely prone to bias, so don't treat it as anything more than one guy's perception.

Dman

I don't think there is a difference between male and female humor on the telling of the joke side.

I can see how man and women might experience life a little differently and an audience of only men or women might find different things funny.

Dman

I can see where you coming from Feral. I was thinking along the lines of professionals, not personal acquaintances.

Drez

Women and men have different senses of humor?



Haha, that's funny.






...

RonTheDM

I don't really find any female comedians to be funny. I don't. I guess it makes me a bad person, but alas it is all I know ...

Females that I know and interact with in real life I can laugh at/with, though often at situations where they recognize the humor of what is happening/what they did and they sigh with a smile, "Why do you make fun of me?" or something similar. Me and my male friends share a different sort of humor, mostly involving making fun of each other, being ridiculous, etc. Even me and my best friends refer to each other as "fat, worthless freaks" and mention how it'd be great if the other one died already. There are very few women who I can casually rip into in good nature. I'm not sure if humor is different so much as we're conditioned to believe there is an inherent difference.

Evil Multifarious

I think men will tend to be funnier simply because it's so widely known and reinforced as a highly attractive quality to women, even besides its obvious benefits in other areas. They're more motivated to practice it and, most importantly, persevere at being funny even when they fall flat a few times. I know that I'm a lot funnier than I was when I was younger, because I've learned when to hold back on the bad jokes or the quick responses that aren't all that clever.

Women, on the other hand, know exactly what the highly attractive qualities for men are, and although humour is definitely attractive, it's usually not placed as highly for women.

Oboro

I have to emphasize Feral's idea on women being more attracted to wordplay. The sole current of humor in a lot of my female-friend relationships has been ceaseless puns, portmanteaus, and wordplay. We get excited over these kinds of things. I've gotten text messages in the middle of night that describe a scene and the hilarious made-up word that emerged from it.

Guys will laugh at my wordplay but do so with this sort of glazed-over look to them. Men!!

EDIT: And for the record, I find myself just sort of giving men the same look when they make the joke that sends all the other guys into hysterics

Feral

Evil Multifarious wrote: »

I think men will tend to be funnier simply because it's so widely known and reinforced as a highly attractive quality to women, even besides its obvious benefits in other areas. They're more motivated to practice it and, most importantly, persevere at being funny even when they fall flat a few times. I know that I'm a lot funnier than I was when I was younger, because I've learned when to hold back on the bad jokes or the quick responses that aren't all that clever.

Women, on the other hand, know exactly what the highly attractive qualities for men are, and although humour is definitely attractive, it's usually not placed as highly for women.

I'd agree with this.

ElJeffe

RonaldoTheGypsy wrote: »

I don't really find any female comedians to be funny. I don't. I guess it makes me a bad person, but alas it is all I know ...

Rosie O'Donnel was hilarious back when she was an unknown stand-up comic. I've always loved Ellen DeGeneres's stand-up, as well.

I can't think of any really good modern female comics, but then I can't think of many really good males, either.

RonTheDM

Rosie way way way back in the day I found funny, but I can't stand Ellen. I like Brian Regan, and I enjoy plenty of others ... why did Carlin have to die? Grrr.

Evil Multifarious

Feral wrote: »

Evil Multifarious wrote: »

I think men will tend to be funnier simply because it's so widely known and reinforced as a highly attractive quality to women, even besides its obvious benefits in other areas. They're more motivated to practice it and, most importantly, persevere at being funny even when they fall flat a few times. I know that I'm a lot funnier than I was when I was younger, because I've learned when to hold back on the bad jokes or the quick responses that aren't all that clever.

Women, on the other hand, know exactly what the highly attractive qualities for men are, and although humour is definitely attractive, it's usually not placed as highly for women.

I'd agree with this.

if i wanted to be kind of a dick, i'd add that most of the funny girls i know are one of the following: unattractive, formerly unattractive, or attractive in an unusual or non-standard fashion

and that really hot chicks who conform wonderfully to the cultural beauty standard are rarely hilarious as well

Rufus_Shinra

ElJeffe wrote: »

RonaldoTheGypsy wrote: »

I don't really find any female comedians to be funny. I don't. I guess it makes me a bad person, but alas it is all I know ...

Rosie O'Donnel was hilarious back when she was an unknown stand-up comic. I've always loved Ellen DeGeneres's stand-up, as well.

I can't think of any really good modern female comics, but then I can't think of many really good males, either.

I would just like to point out that both Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres are homosexual. In this instance, the exception proves the rule. The rule being what Evil Multifarious said, "Men tend to have a more developed sense of humor because it is used to attract females."

Rye

I appreciate wordplay a LOT. However, I feel like just because I don't use that singular venue of comedy, or that single type of joke, some girls roll their eyes and think I'm unfunny. I mean, I can appreciate more kinds of humor than the average woman I know. Does this mean I'm lower brow or have terrible standards for laughing? No, but it gets interpreted that way, it seems.

Hachface

Evil Multifarious wrote: »

I think men will tend to be funnier simply because it's so widely known and reinforced as a highly attractive quality to women, even besides its obvious benefits in other areas. They're more motivated to practice it and, most importantly, persevere at being funny even when they fall flat a few times. I know that I'm a lot funnier than I was when I was younger, because I've learned when to hold back on the bad jokes or the quick responses that aren't all that clever.

Women, on the other hand, know exactly what the highly attractive qualities for men are, and although humour is definitely attractive, it's usually not placed as highly for women.

Yes. On a purely anecdotal basis, I've often found that when a guy says he's looking for a girl with a good sense of humor, he means he wants a girl who will laugh at his jokes.

ElJeffe

Rye wrote: »

I appreciate wordplay a LOT. However, I feel like just because I don't use that singular venue of comedy, or that single type of joke, some girls roll their eyes and think I'm unfunny. I mean, I can appreciate more kinds of humor than the average woman I know. Does this mean I'm lower brow or have terrible standards for laughing? No, but it gets interpreted that way, it seems.

My wife and I are both masters of the So Terrible It's Funny pun.

Evil Multifarious

Hachface wrote: »

Evil Multifarious wrote: »

I think men will tend to be funnier simply because it's so widely known and reinforced as a highly attractive quality to women, even besides its obvious benefits in other areas. They're more motivated to practice it and, most importantly, persevere at being funny even when they fall flat a few times. I know that I'm a lot funnier than I was when I was younger, because I've learned when to hold back on the bad jokes or the quick responses that aren't all that clever.

Women, on the other hand, know exactly what the highly attractive qualities for men are, and although humour is definitely attractive, it's usually not placed as highly for women.

Yes. On a purely anecdotal basis, I've often found that when a guy says he's looking for a girl with a good sense of humor, he means he wants a girl who will laugh at his jokes.

very true.

however, there is certainly something powerfully unattractive about a girl who tries to be funny but fails, persistently. i mean it's annoying in anyone, but that is the kind of quality that can nullify other positive qualities like intelligence or beauty.

taeric

Doesn't this typically just boil down to expectations? A good deal of a jokes delivery is knowing when to deliver it. This is one of the things that sets up a really good comedian. They can keep a joke going for a long time, and once the audience is almost done, they can deliver. At the same time, there are some jokes that just shouldn't be told without the expectation from the audience that a joke is coming. Most race related jokes fall into this. (As do sex related ones.)

That is to say, most of the people in your group that you find really funny, you basically expect to be funny. This hurts the chances of a girl being funny to a boy. Sadly, I'm sure the same is true from a black to a white. Even older to younger. Once someone is established as funny, they can get passed this easier, but I'm sure it is still there.

Rye

ElJeffe wrote: »

Rye wrote: »

I appreciate wordplay a LOT. However, I feel like just because I don't use that singular venue of comedy, or that single type of joke, some girls roll their eyes and think I'm unfunny. I mean, I can appreciate more kinds of humor than the average woman I know. Does this mean I'm lower brow or have terrible standards for laughing? No, but it gets interpreted that way, it seems.

My wife and I are both masters of the So Terrible It's Funny pun.

See, I have that sense of humor, but she tends to see it as "if it's so terrible, it can't possibly wrap back around to being funny".

Like, I'll say a really bad pun, then if she grits her teeth, I'll say "No, you don't understand, let me explain the joke. You see, walruses prefer the water..." when clearly she DID get the pun, but thought it was terrible.

MrMonroe

Evil Multifarious wrote: »

Feral wrote: »

Evil Multifarious wrote: »

I think men will tend to be funnier simply because it's so widely known and reinforced as a highly attractive quality to women, even besides its obvious benefits in other areas. They're more motivated to practice it and, most importantly, persevere at being funny even when they fall flat a few times. I know that I'm a lot funnier than I was when I was younger, because I've learned when to hold back on the bad jokes or the quick responses that aren't all that clever.

Women, on the other hand, know exactly what the highly attractive qualities for men are, and although humour is definitely attractive, it's usually not placed as highly for women.

I'd agree with this.

if i wanted to be kind of a dick, i'd add that most of the funny girls i know are one of the following: unattractive, formerly unattractive, or attractive in an unusual or non-standard fashion

and that really hot chicks who conform wonderfully to the cultural beauty standard are rarely hilarious as well

Her show isn't nearly on par with her stand up, but christ on a cracker she is ever gorgeous.

EDIT: I am so getting a plain cotton grocery bag and embroidering "Portmantote" on the side.

Hachface

Sarah Silverman is a likely candidate for "formerly unattractive." We need high school pictures, stat.

Edit: I do, however, find it hard to imagine that Tina Fey or Amy Sedaris were ever unattractive.

Oboro

Sarah Silverman has very broad shoulders. This amuses me.

I really don't understand her following, though, at least with the show. Her stand-up was okay but the show? I just don't get it.

Rye

Yes, she's attrative, but it really did take me a while to appreciate her humor. Also, she tells guy-ish jokes. Sexual/crude, ripping on other people playfully.

Kruite

MrMonroe wrote: »

Evil Multifarious wrote: »

Feral wrote: »

Evil Multifarious wrote: »

I think men will tend to be funnier simply because it's so widely known and reinforced as a highly attractive quality to women, even besides its obvious benefits in other areas. They're more motivated to practice it and, most importantly, persevere at being funny even when they fall flat a few times. I know that I'm a lot funnier than I was when I was younger, because I've learned when to hold back on the bad jokes or the quick responses that aren't all that clever.

Women, on the other hand, know exactly what the highly attractive qualities for men are, and although humour is definitely attractive, it's usually not placed as highly for women.

I'd agree with this.

if i wanted to be kind of a dick, i'd add that most of the funny girls i know are one of the following: unattractive, formerly unattractive, or attractive in an unusual or non-standard fashion

and that really hot chicks who conform wonderfully to the cultural beauty standard are rarely hilarious as well

Her show isn't nearly on par with her stand up, but christ on a cracker she is ever gorgeous.

EDIT: I am so getting a plain cotton grocery bag and embroidering "Portmantote" on the side.

Really? I...don't find her or her show funny at all. Just difference in sense of humor I suppose.
Robin Williams, Lewis Black, Ellen DeGeneres, Jeff Dunham are some of my favorites.

Rye

I think we need more female opinions. I'm sure girls don't want to hear that if they're funny, they're probably unattractive. Or that they are in general less funny than guys.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that male humor can sometimes be at the expense of the female gender? Lots of offensive/sexist stuff that guys find funny but women are tired of dealing with it, even in a comedic light?

Symphony

Feral wrote: »

I remember reading a study some time ago that showed that women are more likely to use self-deprecating humor than men. That shouldn't be entirely surprising, as women with low self-esteem tend to be more inwardly focused than men with low self-esteem, so it stands to reason that women would put themselves down more in an effort to be funny whereas men would put down other people more. (This is not to say that self-deprecating humor is always the result of low self-esteem, just that men and women deal with self-perception differently.)

I'll have to see if I can dredge that study up.

If you can find it, that'd be an interesting read.

KalTorak

ElJeffe wrote: »

I can't think of any really good modern female comics, but then I can't think of many really good males, either.

Eddie Izzard demonstrates the possibility that to be a good comic you have to be somewhere in the middle.

Feral

Sarah Silverman's TV show is self-indulgent and boring.

Her stand-up, however, is fan-fucking-tastic if you have a dark sense of humor.

"I was raped by a doctor... which, for a Jewish girl, is so bittersweet," is one of the funniest things I've ever heard.

Variable

Hachface wrote: »

Sarah Silverman is a likely candidate for "formerly unattractive." We need high school pictures, stat.

Edit: I do, however, find it hard to imagine that Tina Fey or Amy Sedaris were ever unattractive.

Tina Fey was very overweight in earlier years, like when she started doing improv and was in second city. I think it was second city, anyway, I saw a video about it about a year and a half ago and when they showed her and Rachel Dracht together I was surprised at how much better Fey looks now than then.

And I guess it didn't hurt her career.

edit -(double edit - I'm talking about Sarah Silverman here) I liked her show as much as her standup. I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan but she fills a void... I don't know any other extremely raunchy female standups right now. Roseanne was one, though she and silverman go about it differently.

JohnOrangePeel

The main difference is that women just aren't as funny as men. There are a few funny ladies out there, but they're as rare as honest politicians.

Æthelred

I don't recognise the "women love wordplay more than men" thing at all.

There's lots of good UK female comedians. Jo Brand, Lucy Porter, Sarah Alexander*, Sally Philiips, Meera Syal etc.

* Who is also mighty fine.

Medopine

JohnOrangePeel wrote: »

The main difference is that women just aren't as funny as men. There are a few funny ladies out there, but they're as rare as honest politicians.

Cite plz

I'm hilarious you bitch

Though not in a standup way

gundam470

Medopine wrote: »

JohnOrangePeel wrote: »

The main difference is that women just aren't as funny as men. [1]

There are a few funny ladies out there, but they're as rare as honest politicians.

Cite plz

I'm hilarious you bitch

Though not in a standup way

Fixed?

Medopine

Cute

Jason Todd

I've never found a female comedian funny, but I rarely find male comedians funny either, and there are more (or comedy central plays more) male comedians.

It's also my (anecdotal) experience that some female comedians pigeonhole themselves with the "Dates, Diets, and Dresses" routine.

Erchamion

Variable wrote: »

Hachface wrote: »

Sarah Silverman is a likely candidate for "formerly unattractive." We need high school pictures, stat.

Edit: I do, however, find it hard to imagine that Tina Fey or Amy Sedaris were ever unattractive.

Tina Fey was very overweight in earlier years, like when she started doing improv and was in second city. I think it was second city, anyway, I saw a video about it about a year and a half ago and when they showed her and Rachel Dracht together I was surprised at how much better Fey looks now than then.

And I guess it didn't hurt her career.

edit -(double edit - I'm talking about Sarah Silverman here) I liked her show as much as her standup. I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan but she fills a void... I don't know any other extremely raunchy female standups right now. Roseanne was one, though she and silverman go about it differently.

Lisa Lampanelli is raunchy, but her entire act is how she's a fat white chick that has sex with black guys. It's an awful thing to watch.

Fireflash

Well...

-Here in Quebec there's a few male humorists I find funny while the women I find generally unfunny.

-A few months ago I saw a show from the Humour school's graduates and once again the men were funnier than the women. Hell, one guy dressed as a woman was much funnier than any of the featured women.

-Overall there seem to be much more popular male humorists than female humorists.

So without trying to be sexist, from my experience men are better standups than women.

Variable

Erchamion wrote: »

Variable wrote: »

Hachface wrote: »

Sarah Silverman is a likely candidate for "formerly unattractive." We need high school pictures, stat.

Edit: I do, however, find it hard to imagine that Tina Fey or Amy Sedaris were ever unattractive.

Tina Fey was very overweight in earlier years, like when she started doing improv and was in second city. I think it was second city, anyway, I saw a video about it about a year and a half ago and when they showed her and Rachel Dracht together I was surprised at how much better Fey looks now than then.

And I guess it didn't hurt her career.

edit -(double edit - I'm talking about Sarah Silverman here) I liked her show as much as her standup. I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan but she fills a void... I don't know any other extremely raunchy female standups right now. Roseanne was one, though she and silverman go about it differently.

Lisa Lampanelli is raunchy, but her entire act is how she's a fat white chick that has sex with black guys. It's an awful thing to watch.

true, but I agree she is awful. one of my least favorite comediennes ever not just because she isn't funny but moreso because it seems like a really degrading act.

Feral

Æthelred wrote: »

I don't recognise the "women love wordplay more than men" thing at all.

There's lots of good UK female comedians. Jo Brand, Lucy Porter, Sarah Alexander*, Sally Philiips, Meera Syal etc.

* Who is also mighty fine.

Does Sarah Alexander do stand-up? She was great on Coupling.

ThatCostumeGirl

Rye wrote: »

I think we need more female opinions. I'm sure girls don't want to hear that if they're funny, they're probably unattractive. Or that they are in general less funny than guys.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that male humor can sometimes be at the expense of the female gender? Lots of offensive/sexist stuff that guys find funny but women are tired of dealing with it, even in a comedic light?

If having a good sense of humor increases your attractiveness then being funny should mean you're hot. Right?

Sometimes I tire of the same ol' jokes about boobs and babes. There may have been a kernel of funny in the joke the first time I heard or saw it, but it grows old and tacky the longer it's replayed. Boring would be more accurate.