How Is The Sense Of Humor In Each Country?

Is the sense of humor in each country the same or different? According to a study by Mendiburo and Páez (2011), humor is a universal component of culture, but it varies in how it is demonstrated in each one of them. These variations, according to Alford and Alford (1981), are made through different objects and shapes.

Still, there are common elements in the humor of all cultures. For example, according to Mendiburo and Páez, most research indicates that funny stimuli are those related to images, ideas, texts or acts that are in some way incongruous, unusual, unexpected, surprising or extraordinary.

That is to say, there are situations, approaches or ideas that generally amuse everyone. However, each country has a characteristic humor, and its inhabitants like things that maybe someone from “outside” does not. And it is that in reality, humor has something very personal too. What kind of humor does each country have? What does the research say about it? We will talk about all this, here!

How is the sense of humor in each country?

Humor, according to the RAE, means ‘genius, nature, condition, especially when it manifests itself externally’. A sense of humor is more specifically defined as ‘the ability to see or show the laughing or ironic side of things, even in adverse circumstances’. However, there is not even a common consensus to define a sense of humor; Yes, it is believed, but that it is something inherent to each culture.

The reality is that not everyone has a sense of humor, but having it (and putting it into practice) allows us to benefit from positive things, increase good humor, laugh, make others laugh, etc. And it is that, as the poet Danns Vega affirms,  “Whoever makes you laugh, gives you life .”

The sense of humor in each country is different. According to professor and researcher Gert Jan Hofstede, ” humor reflects human behavior, and in each society humor tends to focus on salient elements of the culture of this same society .”

Thus, in the same way that the same thing does not make us laugh (individual differences), not all countries have the same sense of humor (social and cultural differences).

In this sense, culture, society and other values ​​can influence a sense of humor. Surely you have experienced this when you have traveled: Didn’t you find that jokes “from here” abroad weren’t funny? Or have you heard jokes that didn’t make you laugh or that you didn’t understand directly? However, there are common elements in all cultures, as we will see later.

Can humor be measured?

Did you know that humor can be measured? Specifically, through an instrument called the  Humor Style Questionnaire , a 32-question test that allows you to know what humor you practice.

The categories included are the following: affiliative humor (used to reinforce belonging to a group), self-affirmative humor (based on exaggeration of oneself), aggressive humor (focused on the other) and self-disqualification (focused on self-irony) . Thus, each country would have a more prominent humor than another.

Example of differences in mood

In a study carried out by the Dutch professor Gert Jan Hofstede, who spent years studying how the sense of humor changes depending on the geographical area, we found an example.

Hofstede tells that the president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, a person with a great sense of humor, traveled to Japan to give a conference. During it, he released a joke; the translator relayed it to the audience and they all laughed out loud.

Later, the president wanted to congratulate the translator, and asked him how he had managed to interpret the meaning of his joke so well to the Japanese. To which the translator replied, a little uncomfortable: “Sir, I have not translated anything. I just told them that I had told a joke. ” It is, therefore, an example of what we are commenting on.

Humor in each country: some examples

How is the humor in each country? As stated by Begoña Carbelo, a humor researcher, as well as a professor at the University Center for Health Sciences at the San Rafael-Nebrija University, in the US, for example, more anecdotes are told than jokes. In addition, Americans value comics and cartoons more highly, and seem to tend to use humor to dazzle others or as a way of coping with adversity.

According to Hofstede, the Japanese, for example, do not often make jokes about themselves. On the other hand, the Jews or the Scots do. As for the English, they rely more on irony and intellectual play, and use a sense of humor, above all, to attract attention or as a way to show off a status.

In addition, the English do not care much about being funny, as stated by the researcher, but rather that their humor allows them to overcome a certain situation. And the Spanish humor? According to experts, it is a more self-centered humor, with frequent use of double meanings and full of jokes.

Common elements

Despite the fact that the sense of humor is different in each country, recent research tends to show, more and more, that humor is more universal than we thought. For example, traditional comic stories are based on the same inflated pretensions and ridicule that can be found in comedies like Molière, Shakespeare, or Cervantes.

Final reflection

The sense of humor fluctuates with the borders, as we have been seeing. This variation would explain why we don’t understand some jokes from fellow foreigners or why they don’t laugh at all of our jokes. All this is influenced by the culture and history of each country, by traditions, way of being, society, norms, values, etc. However, and although there are different types of humor, we can also talk about common elements or fundamental pillars.

Thus, for example, according to Martín (2007), in order to laugh there must be an aspect of the stimulus in question that leads us to think that it is not serious or is not important. This is necessary so that we think that we are facing a pathetic or playful situation, and it would not be serious.