Dude rode a unicycle and noted responses. His conclusion: testosterone in males makes them aggressive and thus inspires humor. Humor Develops From Aggression Caused By Male Hormones, Professor Says.
The study, available from the British Medical Journal, is more fun to read than the articles about it.
Dr. Sam Shuster noted 400 people’s responses.
kids until the age of 12 behaved with similar curiosity.
boys age 11-13 behaved violently, trying to knock him off the unicycle.
young men “attempted comedy”–putting him down with jokes, 2/3 of which referred to his wheel (”lost your wheel?”)
women and older men were encouraging, praising, or concerned.
“adult male humour — characterized by repetitive, humorous verbal put-downs concealing a latent aggression.”
what the fuck? socialization, eh. dude didnt need to ride a unicycle to show that many young men are socialized to respond in a manner to express or exert their conception of dominance.
Don’t mind too much the BBC’s article “Humour ‘comes from testosterone.” I don’t think the study should be taken seriously. I think it’s supposed to just be funny. It’s even more funny that many news outlets (bbc, etc) took it seriously.
Observations by a dude on a unicycle hardly qualify for proof of testosterone’s influence on humor. It’s no controlled trial or methodological experiment. no epidemiological study. it’s an endearing and funny study with more scientific spoof than scientific proof.
The man, by the way, is a retired professor of dermatology–not the most related field–at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. He’s making the observations of an old man not trained in genetics about the gendered roles that he grew up thinking were absolute biology.
1 response so far ↓
Samantha // December 27, 2007 at 5:59 am
I always knew that man was much more aggressive physically than woman….
Leave a Comment