Proper use of humor can make science communication more effective, study shows studies

Official, intelligent, responsible, serious – if you were asked to describe a general figure of a scientist, you would probably use these adjectives like these. However, “fun” will probably not be the first word that comes to mind. Scientists, in fact, rarely adopt a comic tone while communicating with the public, perhaps out of fear of looking less reliable.

Nevertheless, a new study was published Science -Communication Journal Absolutely opposite suggests: Use of humor – in this study, especially in terms of artificial intelligence – both scientists can increase both the possibility and alleged reliability of scientific information.

This lesson was learned by politicians long ago: a well -kept joke is a valuable tool for attracting public attention and building confidence. Scientists, however, are much more reluctant to use humor when attached to science communication. They may be afraid that a lighted approach may seem less official to them and as a result, scientific conclusions seem less reliable.

However, the good news is that science itself refutes this notion. A new study led by Alexandra Lin Frank, a doctoral student at Gradi College of Mass Communication at Georgia University, found that, in the communication of scientific materials, in the communication of scientific materials, by receiving the mirt in the audience – “Both can have a positive impact on the possibility of a communicator, as well as increase the assumptions that the message is a suitable and legal source.”

The study of Frank and his colleagues includes the increasing body of research investigating the use of humor in science communication in recent years (eg stand-up comedy). It “examines humor in terms of social media posts from scientists.”

“The purpose of our study is to increase the difference of how individuals react to the anthropological and satire by providing practical insights to scientists and science communicators,” Frank explains, “Frank explains.

Research focuses on material related to artificial intelligence, which is a fictional scientist Dr. Jamie is presented through cartoons posted on Twitter/X by Devon. The type of humor used has fallen into three categories: satire (a mild, hortian type), anthropological (behaving like humans using animals or objects), or combination of both.

The study appointed an online survey with an embedded experiment (participants knew that they were taking a survey but not that they were part of an experiment). To ensure representation of 2,212 participants, they were selected using aligned quota samples with US census data.

The participants were given Dr. One of the eight versions of a fictional Twitter/X conversation launched by Devon was shown. The tweet included a cartoon about Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the comic element differs in four conditions: no humor (control), anthropomorphism, satire and a combination of both.

After looking at the material, the participants told how much mirtha (ie, alleged humor) experienced, he realized how much he liked the scientist and evaluated the validity of the material as a suitable form of science communication.

“Politicians, entertainers, and advertisers often use humor because people like and connect with people who can make them laugh. When people find something funny, they usually reduce the chances of arguing or rejecting with the message or to the person who distributes it. Our research supports this idea. Explanation of Frank.

This means that humor should be effective and actually the audience from the audience; Otherwise, it may have the opposite effect.

“However, it is important to note that recent research conducted by my co-author indicates that rigid forms of satire can be considered aggressive, which may reduce the reliability of the source of scientific information.”

For example, satirical or aggressively targeting someone is highly discouraged. This is why studies such as Frank and his colleagues are important. “Our research aims to provide valuable insight to help these professionals in developing public communication strategies,” explains Frank.

“When used responsibly, humor is a powerful tool that can make scientists human and make a meaningful relationship with the public on social media. By taking advantage of humor, scientists can simplify complex concepts, making them more reliable and easy to understand.

“This approach not only promotes goodwill, but also has the ability to remove misinformation in a friendly way. In addition, humor can spark curiosity, which can be motivated to get additional information on important scientific subjects.”