Don’t scoff at laugh tracks: they work.
According to a report published Monday in the journal Current Biology, having recorded laughter play while corny “dad jokes” are told makes people find them funnier. Spontaneous laughter, researchers found, is more effective than posed laughter, and impacts both neurotypical people and those with autism.
“I’m fascinated that not only does laughter make the joke seem funnier, but that the more spontaneous the laughter, the funnier it makes the joke!” says study author Sophie Scott of the University College London in a press release.
For the study, researchers had a comedian read bad jokes to two groups, one in silence, the other while accompanied by a laugh track. Half the time, the laugh track played was posed, and the other half, spontaneous-sounding.
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