"Which word is funnier: porridge or oatmeal?" This is the question one of us recently posed to the other.* Clearly, the notion was insane. Surely finding something funny requires context — a ...

George W. Bush was not known for his cunning intellect, but he did have a good sense of humor. In a commencement address at Southern Methodist University, he famously told the graduates, “For those of ...

Individuals who use humor in social encounters are perceived as confident, competent, and more likable. Additionally, both trust and attraction increase when a light-hearted approach is used in new ...

Browse through a gluppity-glup Dr. Seuss book or the frabjous poetry of Lewis Carroll and you’ll find words that are simply funny, regardless of their meaning or context. So why are some words ...

Scientists and philosophers have long sought to understand humor. Charles Darwin likened it to a "tickling of the mind," and Thomas Hobbes described it as a feeling of "sudden glory." Theories about ...

Have you ever had a word all of a sudden lose its normal, expected associations and then reveal itself to you, in all its inherent weirdness? You can get there by repeating a word over and over until ...

Judith Baxter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond ...

MinnPost’s journalists are out in the community to report on the things that are happening in Minnesota. Your support right now will help fund their work AND keep our news paywall-free. We have all ...