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Can a noisy venue be bad for comedy?

Drew Gorenz^1,2, Norbert Schwarz^1,2,3

¹Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.

|September 19, 2025

Summary

Background noise can make jokes less funny. Two experiments found that participants perceived jokes as less humorous when listening in noisy environments, impacting joke appreciation.

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Area of Science:

Psychology of humor
Auditory perception
Environmental psychology

Background:

Humor research often focuses on joke content, neglecting environmental factors.
Acoustic settings can influence auditory processing and comprehension.
Potential impact of background noise on humor perception is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the effect of background noise on the perceived funniness of jokes.
To determine if environmental acoustics influence humor appreciation.

Main Methods:

Two experiments were conducted using audio clips of stand-up comedy performances.
Participants listened to jokes in controlled auditory conditions, including varying levels of background noise.
Perceived funniness ratings were collected from participants.

Main Results:

Participants rated jokes as significantly less funny when presented with interfering background noise.
Auditory interference negatively impacted the perceived humor of the jokes.
The listening environment demonstrably affects joke funniness.

Conclusions:

Background noise and poor acoustics can diminish the perceived funniness of jokes.
Environmental factors play a crucial role in the experience of humor.
Future research should consider acoustic settings when studying humor perception.