The equation is true: Tragedy + time = comedy. In order for something to be funny, it has to be perceived as controversial, but no longer threatening, finds a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Humor researchers examined just how funny people found Hurricane Sandy jokes before, during, and after the event in 2012. Surprise: Natural disaster jokes weren't appreciated during the storm or immediately after. Sandy quips were, however, met with the most laughs 4 to 5 weeks post-impact, after which the comedic acceptance started downhill again.
"You need something wrong--something amiss, a violation--to serve as the foundation for humor. Jokes rob the conflict of its power; laughing turns the violation benign," explains study author Peter McGraw, Ph.D, co-author of The Humor Code. Too long after the original controversy, though, and the topic becomes too unthreatening, and is no longer funny. (In other words, it's tim e to retire those O.J. Simpson bits.)
Here's how to keep your jokes in the sweet spot of "funny but not offensive" at your New Year's Eve dinner party:
Start like a standup comedian, and put yourself in the line of fire first. "Criticizing yourself avoids offending others, and gives you license to expand your jokes," McGraw says. "If you're willing to point out what's wrong with yourself, you're allowed to point out what's wrong with the rest of the world."
Skip the obvious topic: the food. "Never make jokes about the meal, unless you cooked it," advises McGraw. Anyone who has to spend an afternoon slaving over a stove is not going to view "Is the secret ingredient feet?" as the proper thank-you.
Play it safe to break the ice. It won't help ease the tension if you start launching barbs at controversial figures like politicians, so play it safe until you can get a sense of the room's humor. The safest target, other than yourself: wordplay. "Try puns, limericks, and oxymorons. The jokes might be lame and forgettable, but at least no one will remember you spoiling [the occasion]," says Mark A. Shatz, Ph.D., humor psychology expert and coauthor of Comedy Writing Secrets.
Take a trip down memory lane. Humor is uniquely individual, but at gatherings with friends and family, everyone typically has one topic in common: memories. Look back on embarrassing, strange, or peculiar situations from years past. A funny walk down memory lane may be the best source of laughter in a mixed generational situation, because everyone can relate, he adds.
If all else fails, rant about traffic. Previous research from McGraw's Humor Research Lab has found that humorous complaining is largely a positive and accepted method. And since everyone probably doesn't have the same religious and political beliefs, stick to three of McGraw's most universally accepted topics: traffic, weather, and light-hearted current events. That can include "What did Miley Cyrus have at her Christmas dinner? Twerk y!" (Just don't tell your friends you heard that joke from us.)
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