Research: Being Funny Can Pay Off More for Women Than Men

The stereotype that “women aren’t funny” pervades pop culture. But is it true? The authors analyzed more than 2,400 TED and TEDx talks, as well as more than 200 startup pitches, and found that female speakers who used more humor were more popular and perceived as more influential and inspiring than both less-funny women and comparably-funny men. They suggest that this is because humor conveys both warmth and competence, thus helping female presenters break free from the warmth-competence double bind that so often keeps women from exerting influence in professional settings. Of course, humor won’t be effective in every setting — and jokes that work well for one speaker in one context may not be as effective in another. But when done right, the authors’ research demonstrates the power of humor to overcome bias against women and help them succeed in public arenas.