Scientifically Speaking, Who’s Funnier: Democrats or Republicans?

Democrats, for example, tended to rely on the kind of humor and laughter that was inclusive and convivial. “The Democratic Party is a highly egalitarian party,” says Stewart. “Anyone can get in or drop out. So you really have to be charismatic like Clinton or Obama to draw people in.” Obama was particularly good at this in the 2008 season: Stewart found that in the debates, he often flashed smiles of genuine amusement and engaged in loose-jawed laughter, the sort of visual signals that suggest, “Join me, I’m here to play.”

Republicans, on the other hand, tended to rely on what’s called “encrypted humor,” says Stewart, the sort of “wink, wink” in-jokes that separate insiders from outsiders. Take Republican candidate Mike Huckabee’s 2008 quip that “We’ve had a Congress that has spent money like [John] Edwards at a beauty shop.” By using the term “beauty shop,” as opposed to, say, “barbershop,” Huckabee’s joke was “not just an attack on congress, but also an attack on Edwards’ masculinity,” says Stewart.

Scientifically Speaking, Who’s Funnier: Democrats or Republicans? / by Joel Warner and Peter McGraw / 0.23.12 / wired.com