Good-natured comedy to enrich climate communication

Laughing With Science: The Influence of Audience Approval on Engagement

“…This research set out to advance our understanding of the effects of science humor on two forms of audience engagement by testing the contagious effect of laughter as a relevant social cue. The results speak to the powerful impact that audience laughter and approval can have on both content-specific and broader forms of scientific engagement, and the value of considering a variety of forms of science comedy beyond politically oriented satire when looking for new ways to engage with public audiences (Osnes et al, 2019). In our particular case study, we found that seeing a scientist explain scientific concepts in the form of stand-up comedy can be even more impactful when those consuming the routine are helped along by audience laughter.…”

A Scientist and a Comedian Walk Into a Bar: Humour’s Role in Science Communication

“…Additionally, Yeo et al (2020a) found that participants who perceived more mirth in a science comedy video (through the addition of audience laughter) rated comedy as a more valid source of science. Finally, Osnes, Boykoff and Chandler (2019) found that creating good-natured comedy about climate science helped students process negative emotions about the subject. Other studies have also noted that lightening the mood of the classically doom and gloom frame of climate science can increase engagement with this topic Kaltenbacher & Drews, 2020).…”

“…Additionally, many studies supported the idea that positive humour (rather than negative, critical humour) is likely the most effective (and least risky) for a variety of science communication goals (Gross, 2015;Osnes, Boykoff & Chandler, 2019;Pinto & Riesch, 2017), but none explicitly investigated positive versus negative humour's effects or usage rates.…”

The difference between “alarmist” and “alarming”: Interview with Maxwell Boykoff

“…We had 44 students, and we had invited the comedians in to find the funny in climate change without trivialising critically important issues. We also asked them to tether to Project Drawdown (2021), which higlights a set of achievable solutions from the individual to the collective (see also Osnes et al, 2019).…”