Daily HealthBeat Tip

Is that supposed to be funny?

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

The funnies may look a little different to men and women. A researcher who scanned people’s brains while they read cartoons found a gender difference in their response to humor.

The study in the online Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Allan Reiss of Stanford University School of Medicine says both sexes reacted to jokes similarly. But he says the language and analytical sections of women’s brains were more active – as were their centers that focus on feeling rewarded.

His conclusion – and maybe something to keep in mind when you tell a joke:

"The women participants were subjecting the cartoons to much more analytical processes and also not expecting necessarily that they would be funny." (eleven seconds)

The men seemed less analytical, and just wanted a joke.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: December 5, 2005

The White House | USA.gov | Helping America's Youth